Spirit of Fire
by Smiter
Summary: DISCONTINUED This takes place after Naruto catches up with Sasuke at the waterfall Manga spoilers up to chapter 224. Eventual pairings.
1. Shattered

**_Shattered_**  
  


_**Author's Note:**_ Naruto and all related characters/trademarks belong to Masashi Kishimoto - however, this story is my own work, and continues from the latest Naruto manga developments (up to 224).

* * *

It was a beautiful, sunny day in Konoha, the sunlight making the village explode with colour. A cool gentle breeze swirled around the buildings, stroking and cooling the people that travelled through the streets. The people were relieved to get back to their normal routines after the long, hard rebuilding after Orochimaru's attack. They had picked up the pieces and started to move on.

Haruno Sakura and Yamanaka Ino weaved through a small street, each carrying a small pile of gift-wrapped boxes. The sunlight glinted off their Konoha forehead protectors, the proud mark of the Leaf shinobi.  
  
"Thanks for helping me with my errands, Ino." Sakura smiled at her old friend. "Ah, I wasn't needed at the flower shop." Ino smiled back. "And, well... you looked like you could use the company, Sakura." she quietly added. Sakura's emerald eyes flitted downwards, and she sadly smiled, mumbling a thanks. Ino sighed, then chuckled "Come on, Sakura, I'm sure that at any minute now, Naruto will be dragging Sasuke-kun back through the front gate. Whether he likes it or not." Sakura laughed at the mental image of Naruto dragging a sulking Sasuke through the streets by his foot. "That's more like you, Sakura." Ino smiled sincerely. "And in no time, we'll be at each other throats again over Sasuke-kun, ugly forehead girl."  
  
"Ino-pig." Sakura smirked.  
  
"Forehead girl." the blonde shot back playfully.  
  
Sakura laughed once more, and smiled. "Thanks a lot, Ino...pig." "Anytime, forehead girl." Ino jeered.  
  
The girls rounded the corner, and found themselves in the main road leading from the front gate. Sakura and Ino paused. Where there had been peace, there was now chaos. A crowd had collected at the front gate. Something was going on. The air was shattered by the shout of a woman.  
  
"Get the injured to the hospital NOW!"

Ino and Sakura whirled around in shock, and saw Shizune sprinting as fast as her legs could carry her, with six medics following her, stretchers in hand. Shizune was hollering at the top of her voice... and her face... Something was horribly wrong.

The girls' eyes followed Shizune as she shot past them, medics trailing in her wake, towards the crowd.

Sakura experienced a horrible, painful, crushing feeling in her stomach, her heart seemed to shoot up to her throat. She could feel her heartbeats thudding throughout her body. Her eyes widened at the crowd. "Ino..." she croaked. "Naruto... Sasuke-kun..?" Ino's face also washed over with dread. Shikamaru. Chouji. Sasuke-kun.  
  
Without any further words, the two kunoichis shot towards the crowd, running as fast as they could. Their boxes lay in a crumpled heap, forgotten, in the street.

The girls had almost reached the crowd, when a stretcher, bore by two medics, shot out. As they quickly stood aside, Ino and Sakura caught a glimpse of the patient's face.

Neji.

Neji was drifting in and out of consciousness. His striking white eyes were half closed, his breathing ragged, with a gas mask over his face. His body and face were covered with his own blood. His usually immaculate hair was all over his face, matted with blood and sweat. His headband had been torn off, exposing the seal Neji cursed with every fiber of his being.  
  
"No... This... this is horrible..." Ino gasped. It looked like their worst fears were about to happen - there was no question that Team Shikamaru were back and, judging from Shizune's face, things seemed to have gone horribly wrong. She looked at Sakura. Sakura's face mirrored Ino's, drained of colour, fear in her eyes.  
  
Before Ino could say anything, Sakura had shot off into the crowd.  
  
"Let me through! Please! Sasuke-kun!? Naruto!?" Sakura struggled through the crowd, her arms diving between people, making small gaps so she could squeeze through. It seemed to take an eternity to dig her way through the bodies. Ino was right behind Sakura, following the path the pink-haired kunoichi had dug her way through.  
  
The sunlight blinded Sakura as she finally broke through to the other side. As her vision swam back into focus, she was aware of a hunched black shape knelt over an unconscious figure sprawled onto a stretcher. Then she heard Shizune's screaming. It was incoherent at first, then individual words began to take shape.  
  
"...Breathe..!"  
"...Damn..!"  
"Damn it... breathe!"  
"...Tsunade..!"  
"Get Tsunade-sama here _now!_ "  
"Damn it, Naruto, breathe!"  
  
_Naruto...?  
  
_ That thought pierced Sakura's heart like a needle. This did not feel real.  
  
_"NARUTO!?"  
  
_ Sakura screamed her lungs out, yelling his name. Her eyes shot to the boy laying on the stretcher. His spiky blond hair was matted and filthy. His bright, cheeky face was now pale and lifeless. His mouth was covered with blood. His trademark orange jacket had been flung to the ground on the side. A ripped, blood-spattered shirt lain alongside, staining the ground underneath it with blood. His cherished Konoha headband, his most treasured possession, lay atop the jacket, catching the sunlight.  
  
Shizune kept yelling at Naruto, her hands glowing with Chakra and pumping his bare chest. Her hands and his chest were covered with blood. There was an ugly wound in his right breast - which was covered with a blood-stopping ointment. Shizune was choking back tears, all the while pumping with her hands and screaming at Naruto to come back to life. Naruto's prized necklace bounced and glinted in the sunlight as his chest was jolted.  
  
"_Naruto!? What happened!? Naruto!? Sasuke-kun!?"_ Sakura kept screaming. She began to run forward, but she was forcefully restrained by a green blur. Rock Lee wrapped his arms around her and pulled her back. Sakura was shocked. "Lee-san..? Lee-san, please let me go!" Sakura demanded, tears streaking down her cheeks, and her fists pounding Lee's legs and arms. Rock Lee was clearly struggling to contain her and himself. "Please stay back, Sakura-chan! Help is coming for Naruto-kun!" Sakura tore up, sobbing uncontrollably. They both sank to the ground, Sakura burying her face in Lee's shoulder. Lee moved his hand up to the back of Sakura's head, trying to comfort her. While he did not show tears, his mouth was pulled down into a deep, trembling frown, his brow furrowed.  
  
_I had hoped I would never see the tears of an important person again..._ Lee thought, letting Sakura cry onto his shoulder.  
_  
_ While Sakura sobbed, Ino simply knelt open-mouthed and wide-eyed with shock. She could not believe the sight before her very eyes.  
  
Uzumaki Naruto was on the brink of death. The loud mouthed ninja was lying there lifeless. Ino could not believe it. The boy had seemed so indestructible in spirit and body. She remembered his Chuunin tournament fight against Neji, the village's number one rookie before Sasuke, where he had somehow reactivated his Chakra after being hit with Neji's Hakke 64 Hands technique. Not only that, he had become so powerful. He had completely blown away everyone's doubts, including her own. Naruto's victory had made the entire shinobi crowd reassess him. No-one had known he possessed such enormous chakra within him. He was no longer dropout-boy. No longer Dead Last.

Ino remembered Sakura's words after Team Shikamaru had left to recover Sasuke.

_**::Flashback::**_

Sakura was sitting on Naruto's swing under the tree next to the school. Ino sat on the plush grass, next to Sakura in the tree's cool shadow.  
  
"This is where Naruto used to sit alone after class, isn't it?" Ino asked. Sakura didn't respond, simply rocking back and forth on the swing.  
  
"What's on your mind, Sakura?" Ino enquired softly, her head cocked towards Sakura at a quizzical angle, an eyebrow arched. Sakura gently rocked to and fro on the swing, her chin resting in her hands, her elbows on her knees. A few seconds silence passed until Sakura quietly spoke.  
  
"I'm starting to think that I've treated Naruto badly..."  
  
"Oh..?"  
  
"Right before he left... I begged him to bring Sasuke-kun back to me... What he said next hit me so hard." Sakura sighed sadly, and her voice began to break. "H-He said.. 'You really like Sasuke, huh? I know how much pain you are in because of Sasuke...' Then he said..."  
  
"...'I can understand.'"

A tear rolled down Sakura's cheek. "Ino, he always knew. He always helped me so much." Her voice was cracked with emotion. "How could I have treated him so hard? He always helped me so much, and I put him down so often."  
  
"Hey, Sakura, maybe you can talk with Naruto when he gets back." Ino smiled. "After you've told him off for dragging Sasuke-kun along the ground."

Sakura sniffed and smiled. "Yeah, Naruto's gotten really strong now. He was also the one who saved me from Gaara the Sand. Sasuke-kun told me Naruto gave everything and risked death, even showing powers we've never seen." Then her eyes softened and sadness returned. "... I realise now I never said thank you to him... I was grateful and touched, but I didn't say thank you..."  
  
"Hey, hey, you'll have your chance to say thank you, Sakura!" Ino chided Sakura. "You won't do yourself or anyone any good just sitting here crying... I'm sure they'll be back soon and you'll get your chance to thank Naruto and tell off Sasuke." Ino finished with a smile. Sakura simply nodded and smiled, once again pushing herself on Naruto's swing, her hands gripping the ropes of the swing.  
_   
**::End flashback::**  
_

A horrible thought entered Ino's head as she looked at Sakura, who was still in Lee's arms, her emerald eyes now upon Naruto. _What if she doesn't get the chance to talk to Naruto... What if he dies..? Where is Sasuke-kun..?_  
_  
_Just as the thought finished, Naruto gasped, taking in breath. Sakura gasped, "Please don't die, Naruto..." She jolted forward, but was held back by Lee. "Sakura-chan, please." Lee whispered. The crowd suddenly parted and Tsunade, the Fifth Hokage, sprinted through with a bag of medical supplies. She quickly went on her knees, skidding along the ground before coming to a halt. Tsunade's face was etched with worry, a bead of sweat rolling down her forehead, over her curious diamond mark. She quickly slipped a gas mask over Naruto's mouth, and felt his face.  
  
"My god, he's so cold." Tsunade's deep brown eyes darted all over Naruto's body. "His heart is now beating, and he is breathing, Tsunade-sama, but he's so weak. He's lost a lot of blood," Shizune whispered, her brow furrowed, her face contorted with grim worry. "Okay, Shizune, we need to get Naruto to the hospital right now. We can't do anything more for him out here." The Hokage picked Naruto up in her arms, his gas tank secured by a sling to her right shoulder. "Stretcher is far too slow, I'll carry him there! Take care of Shikamaru and the others!" With that, Tsunade shot up into the air and away to the hospital.  
  
"Naruto! Wait!" Sakura cried after the blur.  
  
Ino didn't know what to say... she was lost for words. To see Sakura so wrecked with grief and worry hurt her so much. Her eyes wandered with no purpose across the scene. A battered-looking Kiba was being helped to his feet by a medic, with Akamaru appearing to be asleep within his jacket. Then she spotted a pony haired Chuunin, kneeling on the ground next to a draped figure.  
  
"Shikamaru..."  
  
Ino had never seen Shikamaru like this. He was normally so laid-back, dispassionate and would constantly complain about the smallest thing. But this time, he was crying. Hot tears ran down his face, which was twisted with sorrow, his teeth gritted in anger. He looked so angry and upset. He was shaking all over with rage.  
  
"Shikamaru! What happened!?" Ino yelled. She jolted herself off her knees and sprinted the short distance to him. She knelt down and her face was level with his. Shikamaru sobbed, his eyes half open at Ino. He was in so much pain. "Ino..." His voice was a mixture of grief and rage. He slowly, painfully, drew the words out of himself, like they were a dagger buried deep within himself.  
  
"Chouji... my best friend... is dead. Naruto... Neji... they're dying."  
  
Ino felt sick. She was sure she was going to vomit, and tears started gathering under her blue eyes, rolling down her cheeks. "What... what happened..? Shikamaru?" Ino stammered. Shikamaru sniffed, trying to control his tears. "Chouji sacrificed himself, defeating one of the Sound ninja while we sped ahead in pursuit of the rest. He, he used the red Akamichi pill. He became so... so strong and defeated that monster, but it was too much and he died."  
  
Ino's eyes drifted from Shikamaru to the draped figure. She reached out with a trembling arm, and gently picked one end of the sheet. She carefully pulled, slowly uncovering Chouji's face. He looked so peaceful, a faint smile across his lip. He looked like he was just sleeping.  
  
"He died for _nothing!_ My best friend died for _nothing!_ Naruto and Neji could die for _nothing_ !" Shikamaru spat the words out.  
  
Shizune had knelt down beside Shikamaru, her hand on his back. Ino was taken aback by his words. "What..? What do you mean by that..?" she gasped, in-between sobs. Sakura was also listening, and her sobs showed no sign of slowing down. Lee closed his eyes, staying silent, but his expression betrayed him, showing his pain.  
  
"That _bastard_ betrayed us!" Shikamaru's head went even lower, his tears falling onto the ground. His fists slammed into the ground. "I saw him! That _bastard_ , Sasuke!"  
  
Sakura and Ino gasped, not believing what they had just heard. Lee remained silent, gritting his teeth and squeezing his eyes shut even harder. "S-Sasuke-kun..? What did he do..?" Sakura gasped. She was in so much pain it did not feel real. Shikamaru looked at Sakura and Ino angrily, tears still streaming down his face. Shizune remained still, her mouth gaping slightly in shocked silence.  
  
"That traitor... I saw him and Naruto at the waterfall..." His tone became enraged. "I used to respect Sasuke so much, as a skilled ninja and Uchiha. But now..." His teeth gritted so hard. "... if I ever see his face again, I will kill him!" Ino could not believe this. She had never seen Shikamaru so angry. "What did he do!?" Ino demanded. Sakura could only gape, her emerald eyes wide open with disbelief.  
  
"We saw them... Sasuke was holding Naruto up... with that Chidori in Naruto's chest... Then he threw Naruto down the waterfall. The _bastard_ tried to kill him! Sasuke tried to kill Naruto!"  
  
Those very words brought Sakura's world crashing down. Everything around her seemed to shatter like glass, the pieces falling in slow motion.  
  
Sasuke-kun, the object of her love, had turned his back on the Leaf. And he had tried to kill Naruto.


	2. Walls

_**Walls**_

Author's Note: Naruto and all related characters/trademarks belong to Masashi Kishimoto – however, this story is my own work, and continues from the latest Naruto manga developments (up to 224).

**_Speech in bold and italic is Kyuubi's voice._**

* * *

Naruto's eyes slowly blinked open. He could feel a coldness and wetness on his left side. As his eyes opened, the dark surroundings slowly swam into focus. He was lying on a damp, cold, hard concrete floor. The walls were also made of concrete, and the air smelt damp. It felt so familiar. Groaning slightly, Naruto used the little strength he had to push himself up to a sitting position. He squinted at his surroundings once more.

_Where am I? What happened?_ That was all Naruto could think. His head was swimming, everything felt so disjointed and confused. _This feels so familiar..._

Naruto slowly became aware of a gusting wind pushing and pulling at him. The wind pushed, then pulled. Pushed, then pulled. Like it was breathing. Naruto slowly turned his head to look behind him. A blast of wind forced him to squint his eyes. As soon as the wind changed direction, Naruto widened his eyes. He could see the bars of a cage, with a paper seal. He was back in front of the Kyuubi Kitsune (Nine-Tails Fox).

However, instead of its fearsome face growling at Naruto, the fox's gigantic head was flat on the ground, its eyes shut. It looked drained of its power. Naruto knew something was wrong.

"Hey, fox. What's wrong?" the boy spoke quietly. It was so strange to see Kyuubi looking so quiet, nothing like its fearsome self.

Kyuubi slowly half-opened a gigantic red eye, which spun to look at Naruto. "**_We were almost killed,_**" its voice growled, "**_and we were saved once again._**" "Almost killed..?" Naruto's eyes widened in shock. Then he remembered. Sasuke. His hand slowly moved up to and felt his chest, searching for where he had been stabbed by the Chidori. He could feel nothing but smooth skin.

_Of course,_ Naruto thought, _This isn't real - this is inside my mind._

"**_It appears that I am indeed now mortal._**" The fox grunted, exposing its massive razor-sharp teeth in a tired, lop-sided grin. "**_Now I realise it is completely true. If you die, I die. I had dared not think this would be the case._**"

Naruto wasn't completely paying attention to what Kyuubi had said. His shoulders drooped, and he hung his head. "How am I going to face Sakura-chan? I failed to bring Sasuke back." His voice was quiet, hushed. Kyuubi narrowed its eye and listened in silence. Naruto's mouth opened and shut, struggling to get the words out. "I-I don't know what to do. If Sakura-chan hears what happened, it'll tear her apart. She loved Sasuke so much." His tone was now quavering, and his teeth gritted. "Damn you, Sasuke... How could you do that to Sakura-chan and your Leaf comrades?" His hand weakly splashed down into the wet ground. He felt so tired.

"I'm so sleepy, fox." Naruto moaned. "So tired."

"**_Then sleep. We are alive once more, so we must now gather our strength._**" Kyuubi snarled, closing its eye.

Naruto said nothing at first. Then he spoke. "Yeah... I want to see Sakura-chan again. But what if everyone hates me for failing? Especially Sakura-chan... I couldn't live if she hated me."

Kyuubi snorted irritably. "**_Idiot. If they hated you, they would have let you die. As my power drained back there, I could sense them trying to help you. They want you to live._**"

A faint smile played on Naruto's lips. Then he gave in and let himself sleep, everything around him blacking out.

-------------------------------

Sakura sat in the waiting room of Konoha's hospital. Her head was between her knees, her tumbling pink hair covering her face. She felt like she was going to vomit violently if she ever raised her head. Her hands covered her eyes, which were puffy and red with crying. Lee sat next to her, his hand stroking her back. He felt so useless, yet he felt he had to be with her. Ino had stayed behind to comfort Shikamaru and say her final goodbyes to Chouji. Lee had offered to take Sakura back to her house, so she could have time to take everything in. But Sakura had demanded to go to the hospital, to see Naruto.

**_::::Flashback::::_**

Lee slowly helped Sakura to her feet. He had never seen her go to pieces like that. She had already retched onto the ground twice, unable to cope with the shock. Lee felt sympathy for her, and offered her a towel from his equipment pouch. As she mumbled a thanks and wiped her face with the towel, Lee understood her pain. She had been in love with Sasuke ever since their academy days and she had doted on him ever since they teamed up with Naruto to form Kakashi's famed Team 7. Now Sakura had to deal with the news Sasuke had betrayed the Leaf. Not only that, he almost killed Naruto. The boy whom Sakura trusted to bring Sasuke back. And he was now clinging onto life in a hospital bed. Sakura had picked up his forehead protector - Shizune had taken his jacket away to see if she could get it fixed. Sakura gazed at her distorted reflection in Naruto's forehead protector, lost in thought.

"I will take you home, Sakura-san. Perhaps taking time to take everything in will help." Lee offered. Deep down, though, he knew it would take more than time to help Sakura. He then walked on, his arm around her shoulders.

He found his arm being held back. Sakura wasn't moving with him. Lee's eyes widened, and he mouthed, not knowing what to say. Slowly, Sakura lifted her face and her eyes met Lee's. "I don't want to go home, Lee-san." She spoke with a hushed, but determined tone. "I want to see Naruto. I want to be with him."

"I... don't want him to be alone. He's always been by my side, and I want to be by his side. I need to be there." Sakura still felt sick, but her eyes showed she was determined to be there. "There is so much I want to tell Naruto."

Lee smiled sadly, and nodded. "I understand, Sakura-chan. I will also go with you."

**_::::End of Flashback::::_**

"Are you two waiting to see Naruto-kun?"

The pleasant voice startled Lee and Sakura. A female nurse stood before then, the very same one who had escorted Sakura and Ino to see Sasuke and Lee when they had been injured in the Chuunin exams. "Lee-kun," the nurse smiled at Lee "I am glad to see you are back to full health." Lee bowed his head. "Thank you... but... may we see Naruto-kun? Will he be all right?" Sakura raised her head slightly, her eyes looking up as far as they could towards the nurse. The nurse sighed. "Naruto-kun is now out of the emergency room, and is in a private room - under critical condition." Sakura flinched, and Lee frowned. "You can see him, Sakura-chan and Lee-kun, but he may not come around for a long while." Sakura nodded, and slowly pushed herself onto her feet. Lee stood up by her side, keeping a worried eye on the pink haired girl. The nurse nodded sympathetically. "Okay, please follow me." she said.

They eventually reached the door to Naruto's room, and the nurse opened the door for them. Sakura looked into the room and gasped. Standing over Naruto's bed, arms crossed, was a dark eyed Sand ninja with a massive earthen gourd on his back. His unpleasant green eyes flitted up to look at Sakura and Lee.

"What are you doing here?" Sakura demanded to know, her sickness temporarily forgotten. Her right hand automatically moved to her shuriken holster. Then she felt someone seize her right hand. Sakura spun quickly to face Lee. "Lee-san..? What are you doing!? That's Gaara!" "It's okay, Sakura-chan," Lee reassured her, "Gaara saved my life. And if it was not for him, Naruto-kun would have died back at the waterfall. He means no harm."

"W-what!?" Sakura shot a look back at Gaara, not believing what she had just heard. Gaara was the one who had tried to kill Lee, and he had also tried to kill her during the attack on Konoha. Gaara bowed his head and looked down onto the ground. "I am sorry for what I did," said Gaara, "I know I was bloodthirsty back then, and knew only hate. I realise I will never be able to undo what I did to you and Lee-san."

Sakura was taken aback by Gaara's confession. Was he actually apologising?

"I owe Uzumaki Naruto a large debt," Gaara declared, "He and I share a common pain." _What did he mean by that..?_ Sakura wondered. Gaara continued "He saved me from being consumed by my own madness and darkness." Gaara walked slowly past Sakura and Lee towards the door, Sakura tensing as he passed, "I will leave you in peace now. Protect him just as he protected you." Gaara said, just before he disappeared into the hall, closing the door behind him. Sakura stood in silence, not sure what to think. A cold-blooded killer had just said he owed Naruto a large debt.

"What happened in that fight between Naruto and Gaara..?" Sakura murmured. Lee shook his head, meaning that he did not know. Sakura sighed, and slumped onto a chair by the bed. She forced herself to look at Naruto. She almost wished she had not. Naruto was comatose, with oxygen and fluid pipes taped to his mouth. A thin tube snaked up his nose, delivering nutrition to his stomach. Drip feeds pumped drugs and blood to help Naruto's blood pressure and dull his pain. A monitor overhead quietly beeped, recording his heart rate and rhythm, blood pressure, oxygen saturation and his brain waves.

Sakura felt as if she was tearing up. She held Naruto's hand and slipped his precious forehead protector into his palm. Closing his hand around it, Sakura held onto his hand, not wanting to let go. She was so afraid that if she let go, Naruto would slip away from her life, never to return. She wept quietly.

"Naruto-kun... I'm so sorry." Sakura said in a trembling tone. Her hand tightened around his hand, her smooth palm feeling his rough calloused knuckles, her fingers wrapping around to feel his palm and the cloth of his forehead protector. Lee sat down next to Sakura in silence, not wishing to disturb her. His doll-like eyes took on a look of sadness as he studied Naruto's face.

"This is so confusing, Lee-san... Sasuke-kun hurt Naruto-kun, and Gaara saved Naruto-kun..?" Sakura's eyes looked at Lee's eyes. Lee blinked, and sighed. "It is true, Sakura-chan. I also saw it. Gaara-san used his sand to catch Naruto-kun, stopping him from dropping to the foot of the waterfall." Sakura blinked, wide-eyed. Lee continued "And, as soon as Shikamaru-san saw that Naruto-kun was losing a lot of blood, Gaara used his sand to wrap Naruto-kun's body in a cocoon and placed just enough pressure on his chest to stop the blood flowing out of his wound. He did the same thing for Neji's wounds when we later found him."

Sakura shook her head, unbelieving. "Sasuke-kun tried to kill Naruto-kun, and Gaara saved him..." She turned back to Naruto's face, looking for any sign of colour, and at those curious whisker-like lines he had always had. Her face took on a look of determination as she fought to control her desire to scream in pain. Her hand tightened around Naruto's. "Everything feels completely upside-down, Lee-san."

_You've always protected and helped me, Naruto-kun. Now it's my turn to be by your side and look after you. I don't want you to die. I need you, Naruto-kun. And I am here for you._

_-----------------------------_

Naruto stirred out of his sleep, and found himself next to Kyuubi's cage once again. He sighed heavily, and let his head drop.

"**_You don't really want to be here, do you, boy?_**"

Naruto looked at Kyuubi. It seemed to have got some of its fire back. His own strength was returning as well. "Sorry, fox, I guess I just want to wake up and find Sakura-chan." sighed Naruto.

Kyuubi roared with laughter. But there was no malice in the laughter. Naruto's jaw dropped, and he arched an eyebrow. "What's so funny?"

"**_She is already here._**"

"_What!?_" Naruto jumped up with a start. "Sakura-chan is already here? Where? What do you mean? How do you know?"

Kyuubi snorted. "**_Well, I can sense her. She is by your side. Along with that Lee human. She is holding your hand as well - a form of affection among humans, is it not?_**"

"Sakura-chan... Thick-brows..." Naruto gaped. Then he raised his voice. "I need to speak to her!" he yelled "I need to see her! Can't you let me wake up for a few seconds at least!?"

"**_That is simply not possible. Your body... well, our body has taken too much damage. Even with my healing abilities, it will take a long while before you can wake._**" Kyuubi responded in a low, growling voice.

"_Damn it!!_" Naruto cursed, and kicked out with a foot, sending water arcing into the air. He felt like he was yelling and banging on an invisible wall, his voice unable to reach his friends.

"**_Calm down, you brat!_**" Kyuubi spat menacingly, its red eyes threatening Naruto. "**_If you get all worked up like that, it will take even longer for your strength to return. Stop wasting it!_**"

Naruto stopped suddenly, panting heavily. He knew the fox had a point and so sat down. "I'm sorry, fox... I just want to hear her."

"**_You can if you keep your mouth shut, idiot._**" Kyuubi closed its eyes. "**_Just listen..._**"

"Listen..?" Naruto looked quizzically at Kyuubi. It had already gone back to sleep, deep grumbling snores echoing around the cell. "How am I supposed to hear her, if you snore like that, dumb fox?" pouted Naruto. He sighed, and looked for any dry spots on the ground. He was fed up of sleeping in the water, even though he knew it was not real. The only dry ground was in front of Kyuubi's cell. Naruto worried, debating about resting so closely to the bars. Then he remembered. If Kyuubi tried to kill him, it would also die. And, well... it didn't seem so bad for a demon this time, Naruto figured. They were both stuck here together.

Naruto sat down on the dry ground, six feet away from the bars. While six feet wasn't a bad distance, it was nothing compared to Kyuubi's huge claws. He took off his jacket and sighed, making it into a make-shift pillow. He rested his head and shut his eyes... and listened. He listened harder, and harder, searching for any sound asides from the lapping water and Kyuubi's breathing. Then he heard it.

Sakura's voice. Naruto sighed with relief. It was a voice he needed to hear. He lay motionless, just listening. He smiled slightly.

_-----------------------------_

"I don't know if you can hear me, Naruto-kun..." Sakura spoke, "but there is so much I want to tell you. That I need to tell you."

Lee had already gone home, on Sakura's request. The genin had protested so much against leaving, but Sakura had eventually persuaded him to go and rest from his fight. "I'll be fine, Lee-san" Sakura had smiled at Lee. "Thank you so much for being here with me. But you should rest, Lee-san. You were on a dangerous mission, after all." The poor man just had to concede defeat and slunked off sadly, his head and shoulders drooping, his arms limply hanging at his sides.

Sakura giggled at the the memory. She really did not mean any offence towards Lee, whom she was quite fond of, but he could be so dramatic at times. That was part of why she liked him, she guessed.

She shook her head and sighed. "I'm so sorry, Naruto-kun... I treated you so badly. I never truly understood who you were. I cared for you, yes, but I also wrongly tagged you as someone who could not understand me." Sakura's eyes softened as she gazed at Naruto's face. "But you truly understood me. I just never realised it until too late. You were a much better friend than I had given you credit for. And I want to be a much better friend for you."

_-----------------------------_

Naruto's face softened, and a tear appeared in the corner of his left eye. _She called me Naruto-kun... She wants to be better friends with me... Sakura-chan... Thank you. _The tear rolled down across his face.

-----------------------------

"I realise now I never said thank you, Naruto-kun. Thank you so much for always helping me, always protecting me. Especially when you saved me from Gaara. I-I was so touched when I heard it was you, but for some reason, I never did come up to you and thank you for that. You risked so much for me." Sakura sniffed, smiling. "I swear I will protect you, and be by your side."

-----------------------------

_Damn it, I wish I could say something to Sakura-chan!_ Naruto's brow furrowed, his eyes squeezing shut, tears leaking out.

-----------------------------

The door clicked open, and slowly swung open. The nurse peeked her head in, scanning the room. She spotted Sakura asleep in her chair, her hand still on Naruto's. _I should send her home, but something tells me not to,_ the nurse pondered. Gently, she slid a wardrobe door back and took out a thick, neatly folded white blanket. She draped it over Sakura, all the while doing her best not to disturb the girl. Sakura stirred a little, mumbling, before going back to sleep. _What a lucky boy_, the nurse smiled, _to have such friends._ Being an adult, she of course knew Naruto's secret, but she did not hold any grudge against him. As far as she was concerned, he was just a boy who had not asked to have the demon sealed within himself. He wasn't the Nine-Tails itself. She just wished that more people shared her view - though she had heard that some people had started to doubt their own prejudices after Naruto's tournament fight. She checked the readings of the monitor, pencilled them down on the clipboard that hung from the wall above Naruto's head, and quietly left the room.

The morning sunlight penetrated Naruto's hospital room, long golden rays cutting across the air. The door slid open, and Kakashi silently entered, his silver hair and headband reflecting the golden light. His one visible eye focused on Sakura. He sighed, raising his eyebrow, showing exactly what his expression would have been if you could see it under his ever-present mask. Wordlessly, Kakashi approached Sakura's chair, and placed a hand on her shoulder - gently stirring her out of sleep.

Sakura blinked sleepily, and it took some seconds before she realised she was in the hospital room. She looked at the hand, then its owner. "Kakashi-sensei..." Sakura began. Kakashi smiled with his eye. "Good morning, Sakura."

"Kakashi-sensei... Sasuke-kun..." Sakura whispered, looking downwards and at Naruto's face. Her eyes drifted unconsciously to his chest, where she had seen that horrible wound. She could not see it any more, for the area was now covered with a clean bandage.

Kakashi squeezed Sakura's shoulder. "I know, Sakura... As soon as I came back here from my mission and heard the news from Tsunade-sama, I made my way here as swiftly as I could." Sakura opened her mouth. "Sakura, we can talk later. For now, you should go home and rest. Your parents are quite worried about you. Shizune was kind enough to inform them that you were safe and well here." Kakashi told his student. "That's an order."

Sakura looked at Kakashi's visible eye. He smiled. "Don't worry, I don't have a mission for today, so I will take care of Naruto." Sakura smiled and nodded. She brought herself to her feet, taking the blanket off in the process. Giving Naruto's hand a last squeeze, she said "Goodbye, Naruto-kun. I'll be back soon."

_Naruto-kun..._ thought Kakashi. He thought it best not to comment on Sakura's change.

As soon as Sakura had left, Kakashi sat down on the chair she had vacated. His eye scanned Naruto's body and the pipes that surrounded him. He sighed heavily.

"I hope you pull through, Naruto. A lot of people are missing you." said Kakashi. He shut his eye, musing on how Team 7 had changed ever since the Chuunin exam.

_Sasuke... I'm so disappointed in you. You are now walking down a dark path. But I will not lose hope that you will see the light and return._

One thing was certain in Kakashi's mind. Even if Sasuke returned, things would never be the same again.


	3. Destroy My Heart

_**Destroy my Heart**_

**_Author's Note:_** Naruto and all related characters/trademarks belong to Masashi Kishimoto – however, this story is my own work, and continues from the latest Naruto manga developments (up to 224).

* * *

Sheets of driving rain washed over the forest, the trees buffeted by the gale. The forest's summer colours looked drained, washed out by the downpour. Branches creaked and swung as the wind splashed off them, its current twisting and turning between the trees. There were no signs of life, the animals having chosen to shelter in whatever nook, cranny and hole they could find.

A boy sprang from branch to branch, carefully channelling his chakra to his feet to reduce slipping. His raven hair was soggy, his bangs clinging to his pale cheeks. His sharp eyes continually scanned the forest for safe branches, always alert for danger. Uchiha Sasuke could feel Orochimaru calling to him, and he let the call lead him. He had wasted too much time, having been forced to spend last night hiding in a cave to regain his depleted strength after his fight with Naruto.

_Naruto..._ Sasuke thought of his rival and former comrade. His emotions clashed within his cold exterior. Part of him wanted to go back, but he could not stop. He remembered Tayuya's words:

"_In exchange for power, we have become Orochimaru's servants. We have already lost our freedom._"

_Yeah... _Sasuke thought, _I gave up my freedom when I took that pill and "died"_. Backflipping onto a higher branch, Sasuke paused momentarily to listen to the call in his heart. Panting slightly, he turned his head, his eyes darting from side to side until he felt the right direction to take. Once again, he darted from branch to branch, the forest a blur._ Not far to go, _Sasuke thought, _It feels so close now. _None of Orochimaru's bodyguards had caught up with him. He assumed that they were dead, since he himself had not made great time. Sasuke snorted. No matter. He was well on his way to meet Orochimaru, and that was all that mattered to him right now. Still, he could not help but think of Naruto.

**_::Flashback::_**

"The future is not where my dream is," Sasuke retorted, as he watched the water explode where Naruto had hit the river, "It's in the past, and that's where it will always be." Sasuke turned on his heel, and sprang up to the sentinel's head where he flipped and landed gracefully. Casting a last look over his shoulder towards Konoha, the boy walked on in the direction of the Sound country, letting the call guide him. _I have chosen my path, and I will not be forced to go back._ Sasuke thought, his heart set on power. Although he did not consider the Leaf to be weak ninjas, the Uchiha could not stand the thought of being surpassed by Naruto. And _Itachi_ wanted Naruto. Sasuke was nothing in his brother's eyes

"_I can't let you go!_" Sasuke spun just in time to see Naruto's fist hammer into his vision, square on his nose. Sasuke skidded and skimmed along the ground, kicking up clouds of dust as he hit the ground each time.

"Dobe! Why are you being so persistent?!" Sasuke cursed, wiping the blood from his nose with his hand. "I don't want to have to hurt you!" He brought his legs up and flipped upright, onto his feet. "I don't want to hurt you, either, but you're being stupid, Sasuke!" Naruto snapped back. "I can't let a comrade die! I don't want to lose you! I don't want Sakura-chan to be in so much pain!" Sasuke's face saddened slightly. "Naruto, this is something I must do alone. You should go home. Take care of Sakura." He sighed. "She's a good girl, but I cannot return her feelings. I only regard her as a comrade and friend."

"Why are you doing this to your friends?" asked Naruto, his bright blue eyes fixed upon the Uchiha's dark eyes. "Nobody wants you to die. I'll stop you if I have to." Sasuke returned the look. "Do you remember Haku?" he said, his face taking on a very serious look. Naruto's eyes widened in surprise. He thought of Haku, the image of his young face swimming into focus in his mind.

"For that dream, I can destroy my kind heart with a blade and become a true shinobi," Sasuke said, repeating the words the boy had said all that time ago. Then his brow furrowed slightly, his dark eyes glaring at Naruto. "I don't want you getting in my way. I don't want to hurt you, but if you try and stop me, I will destroy my heart and stop you," whispered Sasuke. He straightened up and squared himself, ready for a fight. Naruto sighed, his face turning equally serious. "I'm going to give everything to protect my friends, including you," he declared, squaring himself as well. "You're going down the wrong path to your dream, Sasuke," Naruto said, returning the glare.

A moment of silence descended, the sound of the rushing river fading out as the two shinobis stood facing each other, focused only on each other. To them, nothing else existed. Their hair swayed and rippled slightly in the wind, their eyes unblinking and intense.

They shot towards each other. Their legs a blur, the slipstream threatening to rip their clothes, the wind howling in their ears. Sasuke burst violently off the ground, flipping over to deliver an overhead kick to Naruto. Naruto blocked with his left arm, his hands quickly crossing to make a seal. Sasuke threw a punch, Naruto blocked and held it.

A hand and a foot held, Sasuke smiled. He delivered another kick. But as it whipped towards its target, he noticed Naruto smile.

_What..? Why is that dobe smiling?_

Before Sasuke's kick could connect, a massive crushing blow came to his side. The boy bounced and skidded violently, spinning out of control. He came to rest, and his eyes flashed up to see two Narutos._ Very nice, Naruto... You created a Shadow Clone as you blocked my attacks, and that clone hit me while I was exposed, _thought Sasuke. The Narutos came charging in, screaming as they ran, their eyes looking crazed._ No more games,_ Sasuke thought, gritting his teeth. He shut his eyes and breathed, focusing his chakra to his eyes.

**_Sharingan!_** His eyes opened, revealing the crimson Sharingan irises. He burst off his feet, charging at the Narutos. Within the blink of an eye, he threw six shuriken at them. Both Narutos blocked, one bursting into smoke.

_Gotcha, dobe_, Sasuke smiled slightly.

Sasuke disappeared into thin air just as he was about to reach the real Naruto. Before Naruto could move, a kick slammed into his jaw from below. As he flew, blood trailing behind him, Sasuke appeared behind him, floating, as if he were a shadow.

Naruto's eyes widened. _Shit!_

Sasuke twisted, a bruising kick slamming into Naruto's left side. Pain shot throughout Naruto's body, his mind screaming silently. Sasuke spun once again, and Naruto noticed the Uchiha's eyes turning away. _Now!!_ Naruto's mind screamed. Sasuke's arm whipped, his backfist violently connecting...

...with a log.

_Damn, Kawarimi!? Where did he go?_ Sasuke silently cursed, still dropping towards the ground. He twisted his body as he fell, looked up, and saw Naruto diving in at him. Sasuke's hands clapped as he went through a rapid series of hand seals. His hands finished, showing the tiger seal. He inhaled deeply, puffing his chest and cheeks out.

_**Katon! Goukakyuu no Jutsu!**_

The blast of fire ignited the air above Sasuke with a deafening roar, an intense heat and light coming from the fireball. Sasuke landed on his feet next to the log, his Sharingan eyes still looking up at the sky. Naruto dropped through the fading inferno, smoking and slightly blackened, in a foetus position, his arms shielding his head. Sasuke sighed with relief. _Got you now... You should be just knocked out, _Sasuke thought quietly.

Naruto crashed into the ground with a resounding thud... and disappeared into smoke.

Sasuke gasped, his eyes shooting wide open. _Another Shadow Clone!? Where is he!?_ Sasuke thought, panic coursing through his mind. He could not see Naruto anywhere, his Sharingan darting across the ground and the river. He spun to check behind him. Nothing. Then he was aware of smoke coming from behind him. Sasuke's head darted back, looking over his shoulder with shock.

Naruto had been holding his log transformation through intense pain, and he had dropped it as soon as Sasuke's back was turned.

Sasuke skidded across the ground once again. Groaning in pain, Sasuke staggered to his feet, his hand on his forehead. _Damn it! When did you get this smart, Naruto..?_ Sasuke thought, panting and feeling badly beaten. He took his hand off his forehead, and noticed some blood on it. His forehead now bore a cut on it. "I thought you said I wouldn't be able to lay a finger on you, let alone your forehead, Sasuke," said Naruto mockingly, a corner of his mouth turning up to a sly smile. Both he and Sasuke looked battered and bloody, but unbowed. Neither ninja was about to give up. They were both fighting for their beliefs, after all.

"Sasuke, look at yourself," Naruto said, his tone irritated. "Your hunger for power is turning you into your brother!"

That remark hit Sasuke. Uncontrollable anger surged throughout Sasuke, his Curse seal flashing across his arm and face. "_Shut up about my brother! You know nothing!_" screamed Sasuke. He could feel the power, the rage, the thirst coursing through his blood. He could feel his grip on himself slipping away. Naruto gasped with horror as he saw the black marks of the seal consume Sasuke's skin like a virus. "_Who are you to tell me who I am!?_" Sasuke angrily screamed.

_This isn't good..._ thought Naruto, his eyes unable to move from the horrifying sight before him. His feet refused to move.

Sasuke charged at Naruto, having lost his mind to the hunger of the seal, his left side mutated into some twisted, darkened, demonic form. Half of his hair had turned silver, and his left eye was now black, still retaining its red Sharingan iris. Chakra crackled around Sasuke's demonic left hand, arcs of it dancing around his arm like lightning.

_Shit, it's Chidori!_ thought Naruto. He tried to move, but there was no time. Sasuke slammed into Naruto, plunging the Chidori into the blond's chest.

The half-demonic Sasuke picked Naruto up, its hand still in his chest, the Chidori having dissipated. Its eyes widened as they looked upon Naruto, who was coughing up a lot of blood. The curse seal dissolved, retreating into itself, the demon disappearing, leaving Sasuke. Sasuke looked in horror at Naruto. "Naruto... I, I didn't mean to..." he whispered. In a panic, Sasuke threw Naruto down, only to see him drop down the waterfall.

Sasuke staggered backwards. "What have I done..?" he gasped, his eyes unable to tear themselves away from Naruto's falling body, which grew more and more distant as it dropped. He had let his anger take over, and the demon within had fed upon it with delight. He had just tried to kill Naruto. He looked at his left hand, which was now dripping with Naruto's blood.

Then he saw sand dart across the air, catching Naruto. Sasuke's eyes flitted across, following the arc of sand. Gaara. And with him were Rock Lee, Temari and Shikamaru. They stood at the foot of the sentinel on the other side of the river, near the foot of the waterfall. Gaara looked up at Sasuke, his unnerving eyes narrowed, staring intently, his brow furrowed, as if he was trying to look into Sasuke's soul. Shikamaru, Temari and Rock Lee were simply staring in shock, their mouths open - not wanting to accept what their eyes had just told them.

Scared, all Sasuke could think of was to run away. And so he ran with all his might.

**_::::End of Flashback::::_**

Sasuke saw the edge of the forest approaching fast, and stopped at a branch. He could have gone back to Konoha, but he would have been treated like a murderer. He was now a missing-nin, and he knew that if the Curse Seal ate him once again without any control, he would have spilt innocent blood in the village. He needed to learn how to control it. He needed Orochimaru. He could think of nowhere else to go.

_The power will be mine,_ Sasuke thought determinedly, _and I will learn to control it without losing myself. And I will avenge my clan._

Sasuke's eyes scanned the scene that lay before him. A heavily fortified castle stood in the middle of a lake, its massive walls soaring above the water's surface, its black and white towers washed with the fiery colour of the rising sun. The castle was connected to the coast with a wide stone bridge. The bridge itself looked extremely solid, stone snake carvings weaving across the railings. Red banners fluttered in the wind, black snake designs upon them.

Compared to Konoha, the Sound fortress felt cold, mechanical, without joy. It felt like death.

Sasuke calmly walked across the bridge, his soft footfalls the only detectable sound asides from the gentle lapping of water against the bridge. As he arrived at the front gates, Sasuke's eyes searched the walls and gate for any guards. Sure enough, a bulky silhouetted man revealed himself at the top of the wall. He held a trident and wore bandages over his arms. His clothes were battle-worn samurai armour, and his grizzled face bore two heavy scars - one on his forehead, the other on his chin. His Sound forehead protector glinted upon his neck. The man turned back and said something inaudible, then the gates opened.

Sasuke's eyes looked back down at the gates. They slowly swung open, creaking and groaning, to reveal a familiar face.

"Kabuto..?" Sasuke's eyes widened in shock. Then he spotted the Sound forehead protector. "So, you're a Sound spy, are you?" Sasuke asked the bespectacled ninja. Kabuto smiled, adjusting his glasses. "Correct, Sasuke-kun. You're sharp as always." Then he looked seriously at Sasuke. "I would like to talk about old times, but Orochimaru-sama impatiently awaits your arrival," said Kabuto. Looking around, he then asked, "Sasuke-kun, what happened to the rest of the group you travelled with?" Sasuke shrugged and snorted. "Most likely dead. I was on my own after the Kage waterfall at the border." He did not particularly care for Orochimaru's former guard.

"Hmm..." Kabuto mused. _My instincts tell me Naruto-kun was among the pursuer-nins_, thought Kabuto, a smirk crossing his face. "We should get you out of this rain, Sasuke-kun, and get you some warmth and dry clothes before you see Orochimaru-sama," he said, stepping aside and waving his arm towards the village in a single sweeping motion. Sasuke entered the village, studying his new surroundings intently. He looked at Kabuto._I knew something was strange about him..._ Sasuke thought, recalling the final ambush in the Chuunin Second Exam. The two ninja then walked deeper into the fortress village.

The heavy doors slowly creaked shut behind them, finally shutting with a deep, loud slam.

--------------------

The light from the fireplace danced in Sasuke's dark eyes, his expression inscrutable. He was no longer wearing his usual clothes, and instead wore a black kimono. He breathed in, shutting his eyes. Then he opened them, revealing his Sharingan. Each Sharingan now bore three pupils surrounding the central one. Everything felt so much sharper, more defined. Sasuke figured that his new development had been brought about by the emotional stress of possibly killing Naruto. He felt no joy at the evolution of his Sharingan.

_I hope that dobe is still alive,_ Sasuke thought once again. Sighing, he knew that he could not go back to Konoha - his actions had made him a missing-nin and a traitor. But he was sure that he would get much stronger here. All that really mattered to him was killing Itachi, the brother who destroyed his life. _Sorry, Kakashi-sensei, but this is my path now,_ Sasuke thought, picking up his Uchiha clothes.

He then threw them into the fire. As he watched the clan insignia burn, Sasuke could feel a knife going through his heart, twisting it, destroying it. He was ready to become a true shinobi.

A knocking sound shook Sasuke out of his thoughts. "Come in," he said flatly, turning to face the door. It opened, revealing Kabuto. Kabuto smirked, and said "I hope that you are satisfied with your room, Sasuke-kun." "It's fine. What do you want?" asked Sasuke, with an icy tone. Kabuto bowed slightly, and said "Orochimaru-sama would like you to join him at dinner. He wishes to speak with you." He stepped aside as Sasuke wordlessly walked into the hall to meet Orochimaru.

* * *

**_Author's Note: I have assumed that the Sharingan cannot see through Kage Bunshins because they are real bodies. Same thing for Henge no Jutsus, since they are real and not illusions (as noted by Gamabunta turning into Kyuubi and being able to bite onto Shukaku). As long as Sasuke cannot see the seals or chakra usage, he cannot realise the technique is being carried out._**


	4. Changes

_**Changes**_

_**THANK YOU!**_  
Before I begin this chapter, I would like to thank all of you for reading this story, especially those readers who have taken the time to write reviews and comments both here in and at the Narutotalk forums. I am glad to know that people have enjoyed my story so far, and I will continue doing my best. Once again, thank you very much! :)

Oh, and in regard to a statement about the Sharingan seeing through the Kage Bunshins, I'm afraid that the clones Sasuke saw in the ambush in the Chuunin Exam (manga chapter 63) were actually the illusion clones created by the Water ninjas - Naruto did not have his Kage Bunshin active at those times.

**_Update: _**I have taken note of the comments on how the paragraphs had become too cluttered, so I have altered the text and spacing. I hope this eases your eyes. :)

**_Author's Note:_** Naruto and all related characters/trademarks belong to Masashi Kishimoto – however, this story is my own work, and continues from the latest Naruto manga developments (up to 224).

**_Speech in bold and italic is Kyuubi's voice._**

* * *

Kakashi fidgeted in his chair. He had sat for hours, musing upon everything he and his beloved team had gone through ever since they met. He was absentmindedly munching on a red apple, enjoying its juicy taste. Since Naruto was asleep, and he was hungry and on his own, Kakashi had reluctantly lowered his mask to eat. He just hoped that no-one would enter the room while he ate, since he really disliked the attention. There was nothing wrong with his face. In fact, it was a very handsome face. He had taken to wearing the mask ever since he joined the Ninja Academy, as the attention from the girls had got so overwhelming the young Kakashi could not train in peace.

The Jounin chuckled at the memory. It had been so long now since he had had any attention from girls, but he was content with that. He wasn't ready to settle down, plus he still had his complete collection of Come Come Paradise books to keep him company.

A feeling of uneasiness grew within Kakashi. He could not think of anything else, and he did not feel easy talking to a sleeping Naruto. He fought the urge to read his book. _This is a hospital room, Hatake Kakashi, and one of your students is lying in that bed! _Kakashi scolded himself. _And I did promise Sakura I would stay here and look after him for today_, mused Kakashi. He felt sorry for Sakura. She showed so much potential with genjutsu, but she had been far too interested in Sasuke to progress significantly. And now she was having to deal with the news Sasuke was now a missing-nin and Naruto was in hospital. Kakashi's visible eye looked at Naruto. The ventilation tubes that were in his mouth had been taken out, and Naruto was now breathing without any aids - an encouraging sign.

Kakashi tossed the apple core behind him, and it landed perfectly in the metal bin in the corner, making a clattering noise. With one swift movement, Kakashi pulled his mask back over his face. Looking around and listening for any other people, Kakashi bent forward, carefully lifting the bandage that covered part of Naruto's chest. Underneath there was smooth skin.

_The power of Kyuubi never ceases to amaze me_, Kakashi smiled, shaking his head in amazement. Ever so carefully, Kakashi smoothed the bandage back down. If Sakura or any of the other kids were to notice Naruto's healing, they were bound to ask questions. He had heard stories of Naruto's recent fights, and from the sounds of it, Naruto was now able to access Kyuubi's chakra without losing himself. Not only that, he summoned _Gamabunta_. The Fourth Hokage was the last person before Naruto to ride the great boss toad, and the only other living ninja who could use Gamabunta was Jiraiya himself.

_I have so many questions I want to ask Jiraiya-sama... Not only can Naruto use Kyuubi's chakra, but he can summon Gamabunta AND use the "A Rank" technique Rasengan, _ thought Kakashi, his eyebrows furrowed. He could not pinpoint it, but he could feel that there was something more about Naruto. Something that no-one knew. _Naruto... you're progressing at a frightening pace, and you might just be able to surpass all the previous Hokages,_ Kakashi mused. He was a little scared, but he was also amazed. Naruto was only 13, and he could use such powerful jutsus. He was also only the third ninja ever - after the Fourth and Jiraiya - to be able to use Rasengan.

"You remind me of the Fourth in a funny way, Naruto," Kakashi spoke quietly, his hand reaching into his utility pouch. He took out his prized book. _Well... no harm if Naruto doesn't know, and I'm careful_, Kakashi thought, chuckling, _I can't wait to see what happens between Yoshi and Ayame now..._

"_Oh!_ You're a fan of mine, aren't you!?" a deep, cheerful voice sounded. Kakashi flinched, yelping, and spun around, his eye wide open in shock. "J-Jiraiya-sama!" he stammered, his eye blinking nervously at the wild-haired man who stood before him, "I-I'm sorry, I just..." His voice trailed off. "Wait. Jiraiya-sama... did you ask if I was a fan of yours?" Kakashi asked, his eye now suspiciously darting between the dirty book in his own hand and Jiraiya. Jiraiya nodded, a huge child-like grin stretching the width of his face, and he pointed at Kakashi's book. "Yeah, I'm the author of Come Come Paradise! Ooh, you're at the Yoshi and Ayame section!" Jiraiya squealed, looking giddy and excited like a child, "That's a good part!" Kakashi could not believe it. Jiraiya-sama, one of the legendary Sannin, was the author of his favourite series of dirty books? The masked man simply sat and gaped at Jiraiya, a sweatdrop trickling down his temple.

Then Kakashi thrusted his book at Jiraiya. "Can I have an autograph, Jiraiya-sama?" Kakashi asked happily, his eye showing his delight. "But of course!" Jiraiya replied delightedly, taking out a brush, and expertly signing his pen name onto the inside of the cover. Kakashi stood, hugging his book with obvious glee, and bowed deeply to Jiraiya. "I am a massive fan of yours, and have collected every single book, even the leather bound Aya special edition!" Both men chuckled smuttily, their cheeks blushing.

---------------------------

"Kakashi-sensei, Ero-sennin, you _perverts_..." Naruto grumbled, his face scrunched with disgust. "I'm in hospital, and you're reading and saying dirty things in my room!" the boy shouted angrily. He shut his eyes and clapped his hands over his ears, blocking out the voices of the two men.

"**_I find their behaviour highly confusing,_**" Kyuubi growled with disdain. The fox was looking much stronger, and was almost back at its full powers. "**_Humans are too complex for me,_**" it sighed. "They're not human," Naruto snapped, "they're just perverts." Naruto sat up and faced the fox. "You're looking much better, fox. I'm glad," Naruto smiled. "**_Glad? Why would you be so glad?_**" Kyuubi asked confusedly, cocking its head slightly in a quizzical manner. "**_I would have thought that you would very much like to be rid of me, boy._**"

Naruto sighed lightly, his shoulders dropping, and said "At first, yeah, I wanted to be rid of you. Because you were the reason everyone hated me so much all through my life. But now..." Kyuubi cocked its head a little more, awaiting the rest of Naruto's answer. "... I feel you've helped me out lots of times recently. Without you, I couldn't have defeated Gaara to save Sakura-chan. And I'm getting used to you, dumb fox," Naruto finished, with a cheeky smirk.

"**_Ha!_**" Kyuubi laughed, "**_I'm starting to like your guts, boy._**" Naruto simply grinned in response, and laid down once more to sleep. As Kyuubi watched Naruto sleep, the fox murmured quietly, "**_Your life has become interesting, Uzumaki Naruto._**" And with that, the fox slept once more.

-----------------------------

Sakura sat on her chair in front of the dresser in her bedroom. Her pink hair fluttered and flapped in the howling gust from her blow-drier, while she carefully and delicately combed her hair with her other hand. Her face had a faraway expression on it, her thoughts on Naruto and Sasuke. Sakura gently slid the switch on the blow-drier to its "off" position and placed it on her dresser, the blow-drier making a hard, metallic clinking noise as it rested on the wooden surface.

Sakura's emerald eyes wandered to a picture that stood besides her blow-drier. Within its frame were the beaming faces of Naruto, Sakura and Kakashi. And the cold, detached face of Sasuke. Sakura stared at his cool visage. _Sasuke-kun... Why did you do that to Naruto-kun..?_ Sakura's lower lip trembled, and she wiped emerging tears away from her eyes with her hand. Using that same hand, Sakura slowly reached over to the picture, and gently placed it face down. Right now, it was too painful for Sakura to see. She had loved Sasuke, doted on him, getting little return. And now he had abandoned her and Konoha.

_Who are you, really, Uchiha Sasuke? _Sakura wondered, her mind confused, _Are you really the same Sasuke-kun I almost kissed? Did I mean anything to you?_

Sakura's mind wandered, haunted by images, sounds, and smells from the last time she had seen Sasuke. That dark night she had poured her heart out, her pain, her feelings for Sasuke. Yet he had chosen to walk on, to leave her. _It hurts so much..._ Sakura thought, her right hand unconsciously rubbing her left shoulder. She sighed gently.

_I should go and see Ino... and Naruto-kun, _Sakura decided, _I'll feel better with Ino, and I need to be with Naruto-kun. I'll just wither away if I stay here._

Sakura pushed herself up from the chair, slid the wardrobe door open and scanned her collection of dresses. Her fingers lightly brushed across each one in the rack, feeling the soft material of each dress. Her hand gently grasped a hanger and carefully withdrew it from the rack. The hanger bore an ice blue Chinese dress, which was designed in the same style as Sakura's usual red dress. The girl slipped her gown off and gently pulled the dress on, smoothing its material with her hands. She then pulled on white Lycra shorts, strapped her right thigh with bandaging for her shuriken and kunai holster. Then she strapped the holster on, making sure it was tightly secured to her thigh. Even though Sakura did not have any missions to do, she felt incomplete without her holster - it had become a part of her. It helped her feel safe and secure. Picking her forehead protector up, Sakura then tied it into her hair, gently adjusting it. Then she opened the door and strode out of her room.

----------------------

In the Yamanaka florist's shop, Ino leant onto the counter with her elbows, her chin supported by her left hand. She watched a small, dark-haired girl stroll around the shop, her pale eyes nervously scanning the flowers on offer. Snug within her anorak was a small puppy, which the girl would occasionally fuss over. "Hinata, would you like any help in choosing the flowers?" Ino asked. Hinata flinched slightly, her cheeks flushing slightly. "I-Ino-chan," Hinata stammered, "Yes please, if you're not... too busy." Ino smiled and walked over to Hinata's side. "So..." Ino began, the word lazily rolling out, "Who are the flowers for, Hinata?" "Kiba-kun, Neji-nii-san, and..." Hinata flushed a little stronger, "...Naruto-kun. I-I would like to give them flowers with my prayers in."

"I got it," Ino smiled, and she picked up a bunch of flowers. "White hyacinths," Ino said simply, thrusting them at Hinata, who blinked and leant back slightly. "They symbolise that you'll pray for the person," the blonde explained. Hinata smiled and nodded. "Thank you, Ino-chan, those sound ideal!" Hinata bowed, her cheeks still blushing lightly. The puppy barked its approval. "Akamaru likes them as well, Ino-chan," Hinata smiled as she scratched the puppy behind its ears. Ino looked at Akamaru, her head cocked slightly. "Isn't Akamaru Kiba's puppy?" she asked. Hinata nodded slightly, and explained "Kiba-kun wasn't allowed to keep Akamaru in the hospital, so he asked me to look after him." Ino smiled. "That must mean Kiba really likes and trusts you, Hinata!" Ino said cheerfully, with a wink. Hinata blushed furiously, her hands clasping.

"Ohaiyo, Ino, Hinata," a sweet voice sounded from the doorway. Sakura stood there, smiling slightly. "Ohaiyo, Sakura-chan!" Hinata greeted Sakura, bowing. "Ohaiyo, Sakura," Ino greeted as well. Ino knew Sakura too well, and knew that the pink-haired girl was trying to put on a brave face and hide her pain. She carefully handed the wrapped bunch of hyacinths to Hinata, and the Hyuuga girl quickly bowed in thanks, handing Ino the exact amount of money she needed. "I-I'll see you later, Sakura-chan, Ino-chan," Hinata stammered slightly, making a quick exit, Akamaru yapping his own goodbyes. "Bye, Hinata!" Sakura and Ino chorused, waving farewell to the shy girl.

The two girls, now alone, looked at each other in silence, each searching for the right thing to say.

"How are you feeling, Sakura?" Ino asked, her expression one of slight worry. Sakura sighed. "I'm coping a bit better now, thanks Ino. How about you?" she asked. Ino shrugged slightly, her eyes glancing sideways. "I guess I'm OK too... It's just a little hard to take in," Ino murmured. Sakura's head drooped, her eyes on the floor. She nodded, "Yeah... I can understand, Ino. It's really hard to understand everything that happened." Sakura then stepped forward, and hugged Ino. Ino was slightly taken aback, but then relaxed and hugged Sakura back. "Hey..." Ino smiled sadly, "...if you ever need me, just come around and chat." Sakura smiled, a tear rolling from her left eye. "Thanks, Ino... and you can always talk to me if you ever need to."

"No problem, forehead girl, that's what friends are for," Ino smiled. Sakura's lips bent into a lop-sided grin. "Thanks again, Ino-pig."

The girls broke the hug, and stood looking at each other again. "I should get some flowers as well, Ino," Sakura whispered, her emerald eyes scanning the various flowers and plants scattered around the shop. "Oh. For... Naruto?" Ino asked, sensitively. Sakura nodded, sadly smiling. "Yeah, I hope Naruto-kun pulls through OK." Sakura replied, as she walked towards a corner, which was filled with buckets, from which many types and colours of flowers exploded. Sakura then carefully knelt down, and picked a bunch of white flowers out of a bucket. "Camellica japonica?" Ino inquired. "Yeah," Sakura slightly smiled, "It means good luck and..." "Admiration," Ino finished, smiling. Sakura blinked at Ino, then quietly mumbled "Yeah."

Sakura watched as Ino carefully wrapped the camellias, and she asked "Ino... how is Shikamaru?" Ino blinked, and looked up at Sakura with worry in her face. "I'm not sure... He's taken it really hard, losing Chouji. I'm upset that Chouji has gone as well... but Shikamaru has really taken it hard. He's gone to see Hokage-sama at the moment." "Yeah... I'm sorry about Chouji, Ino..." Sakura replied sadly, "Have... have they decided when the memorial service is?" "Yeah... they'll hold it at the end of this week. Give everyone time to take everything in," Ino sighed, carefully fastening the wrap with a ribbon, "I've told Shikamaru I'll go with him there." Sakura nodded, "Yeah... if it's okay, I'll come as well. I didn't really know Chouji, but he must have really stood up for his friends." Sniffing back tears, Ino handed the flowers to Sakura. "Yeah, Chouji had a really good heart despite his faults," Ino replied, her eyebrows raising momentarily.

Taking Sakura's money, Ino then said "I'll walk with you, I would like to see if I can catch Shikamaru. I hope Naruto and Neji pull through just fine." "Thanks, Ino" Sakura smiled.

"Mum!" Ino shouted into the back of the shop, "Is it okay if I go for a little while, to walk with Sakura to the hospital?" "Of course, dear," the voice of Ino's mother responded, "take as long as you need." "Thanks, Mum!" Ino shouted back. She untied her apron and carefully hung it up on a peg at the back wall, and smoothed her pink shirt. "OK, Sakura, let's go." Ino said, and Sakura nodded in reply, making sure her flowers were safely secure in her arms. The two girls then left the shop.

-------------------------

Shikamaru sat in Tsunade's office. He shifted uncomfortably within the thick leather chair, forcefully wiping his sweaty palms onto his trousers. "H-Hokage-sama," Shikamaru whispered. The beautiful blonde lady on the other side of the desk brought her deep brown eyes from the report in front of her to Shikamaru. "Yes, Shikamaru?" Tsunade gently spoke. "Hokage-sama, I feel that I have not carried out my duties as well as I should have," the Chuunin spoke simply, closing his eyes and bowing his head.

Tsunade sighed heavily. "Shikamaru, I have read the report on your mission. What you went through would have been classed as an A-Rank mission," Tsunade spoke, "From what I can gather, you fought against five very strong enemy ninja - the personal guard of Orochimaru, no less." Putting the paper down, Tsunade interlaced her fingers and leant forward, her eyes fixed on Shikamaru. "I do not accept that you were unsatisfactory, Shikamaru. In fact, your leadership and teamwork ensured the best chances of survival," Tsunade said, without any doubt in her voice.

"I was at fault, not suspecting that the shinobi accompanying Sasuke were elite ninjas. In the circumstances, you and your team excelled, Shikamaru. You, your team and the three Sand ninja defeated all five of the Sound elite." Tsunade paused, letting that point sink in. "Yes, it is very sad that Chouji died, but there are times when losses are inevitable," the Hokage spoke softly, sympathy softening her face.

"You did an excellent job, Shikamaru," Tsunade finished, a sympathetic smile crossing her lips.

"Yes, Hokage-sama," Shikamaru sighed, his expression still sombre, "Thank you, Hokage-sama."

"If I may be excused, Hokage-sama?" Shikamaru asked respectfully, his head still bowed. "Of course," Tsunade answered, "and get some rest." Shikamaru slowly stood, and respectfully bowed to the Hokage, before turning on his heel and marching out of her office. While Shikamaru knew there was truth to Tsunade's words, he still hurt. The loss of Chouji had left a gaping hole in his heart, a pain more intense than mere physical hurt.

As the Chuunin stepped outside, blinking and shielding his eyes from the bright sunlight, Shikamaru spotted a familiar female figure. "Hey, Ino..." Shikamaru smiled sadly. Ino said nothing, merely stepping forward and wrapping her arms around Shikamaru in a hug. Shikamaru momentarily stiffened, his eyes widened in surprise, but he didn't resist. He relaxed and sank into Ino's arms, feeling comforted, and returned the hug. "Thanks, Ino," Shikamaru whispered into Ino's ear. The two friends just stood there in each other's embrace, oblivious to the rest of the world.

-------------------------

Hyuuga Neji laid in his bed, his face now clear of the blood that had earlier masked it, a bandage once again covering his hated seal. His long brown hair was still slightly unkempt, but it had now been tied back once more. His expression looked peaceful, his unnerving pale eyes now hidden behind his eyelids. Heavy bandaging could be seen on his right shoulder, hiding the horrifying wound burnt into it.

Neji's pale eyes flitted open as soon as he heard the door open. Looking to his left, he saw the small shape of Hinata standing in the doorway, her hands gently holding a few flowers. Akamaru was no longer within her jacket, Hinata having dropped him off at Kiba's family home while she visited the hospital.

Neji's eyes widened in surprise, his mouth opening slightly. He had not expected to see his cousin. "Hinata-sama?" Neji whispered, his eyes scanning her. "Neji-nii-san," Hinata greeted her cousin, bowing slightly. "I, I brought you some flowers, Neji-nii-san," Hinata smiled shyly. She carefully and delicately placed each flower into a vase by Neji's bedside. "Thank you, Hinata-sama. Please, sit," Neji offered, his eyes glancing at the empty chair by his bed. Hinata bowed, smiling shyly as always, and quietly sat on the pale wooden chair.

The boy shifted slightly, his face turning further towards Hinata. He struggled to find words. "How are you, Neji-nii-san?" Hinata asked, her pale eyes unconsciously shifting to the heavy bandaging covering Neji's shoulder. Neji spoke slowly, still unable to recover from the surprise of having his cousin visit, "I.. am recovering well, Hinata-sama. Hokage-sama and Shizune-san have applied a kind of..." Neji narrowed his eyes in thought, searching for the right word. "Solution," he finished. Hinata had a quizzical look on her face. "They tell me that it will speed up cell regeneration and allow my body to restructure the muscles, nerves and skin in that area," Neji explained. "However, it will take at least two months before I am fully recovered," Neji added sadly. He so badly wished to get back to training.

Shaking his head slightly, Neji's pale eyes met Hinata's eyes. "How are the others?" he asked, concern briefly flickering into his face. Hinata sighed, and looked down at the floor, clasping her hands. "Everyone is having a hard time understanding what has happened, Neji-nii-san," she answered, her tone sad. "Kiba-kun will be out of hospital later today, which is good, but... Naruto-kun has still not awoken," Hinata finished. Neji's eyes softened slightly, and he sighed. "It will take some time, yes, Hinata-sama. However, Naruto is strong. He will recover," he smiled slightly. Hinata smiled shyly in response, her face lifting up once again to look at Neji.

"Hinata-sama," Neji spoke, "I am sorry for the things I said and did to you in the Chuunin examination." He closed his eyes, his brow slightly furrowed, his expression one of regret.

Hinata blinked, her mouth open. "I-It's okay, Neji-nii-san," she stammered. Neji shook his head slightly, his body still feeling stiff and not allowing much movement. And he spoke. "No, Hinata-sama. I let my hatred of the head family cloud my judgement. I did not see that you were suffering the same as I was." Neji remembered well how Hinata's father had treated her so cruelly, treating her as a "defect", a cast-off. Simply because she was too gentle with others. Yet, Neji had become blind to that, thanks to the fact he had thought the head family had murdered his father. It was only after his fight with Naruto that the head of the clan, Hyuuga Hiashi, had revealed the truth to Neji. The truth was that his own father had chosen to die, to protect the village and his son, Neji.

"Hinata-sama," Neji said, his eyes still focused upon her pale face, "I would like to make amends, to train you."

Hinata gasped slightly, her eyes widening. "But... why? Why, Neji-nii-san?"

"Don't misunderstand me," Neji replied, a faint smirk crossing his lips, "I still loathe the head family, however, I would like to help you change. Will you accept my aid?" Hinata said nothing, her eyes lowered, biting her lower lip, unable to decide. "Hinata-sama, do you wish to change and become stronger?" Neji asked.

Hinata's eyes met Neji's once more. There was a look of determination in her eyes.

"Yes, Neji-nii-san," Hinata simply replied.

Neji gently smiled. "Then, as your cousin, your protector, I will help you," he declared.

_Father... Naruto... I will now do my best to change destiny._ Neji thought happily, closing his eyes.

---------------------------

Sakura gently pushed the door open, her ears immediately filled with the sound of chuckling. Before her, Kakashi and Jiraiya were sitting by Naruto's bed, both of their faces flushed. Her eyes flitted to the book in Kakashi's hand. At this, Sakura's expression immediately darkened.

_I'll kick their asses for this! Damn shameless perverts, reading filth in Naruto-kun's room!_ Inner Sakura screamed within her mind, flailing her fists around, her face contorted with rage.

As if sensing Inner Sakura, Kakashi's eyes darted to where Sakura was. He immediately saw the dark expression on the pink-haired girl's face. Ashamed, Kakashi quickly concealed his book within his utility pouch, while Jiraiya smiled with embarassment.

"Ah... Sakura, sorry about that," Kakashi smiled sheepishly, his right hand nervously scratching behind his right ear. Sakura harrumphed, and tersely replied "Kakashi-sensei, you should know better." She sighed, shaking her head, and walked over to the vase besides Naruto's bed. To her surprise, there were already some flowers there, plus there were some cards. Carefully placing her flowers within the growing bunch in the glass vase, Sakura's eyes wandered over some of the cards and the multicoloured flowers. "Naruto-kun has a few well-wishers," Sakura commented, smiling slightly.

"Hai..." Kakashi agreed. "Naruto has some good friends," he said, his visible eye showing his smile. Sakura gently picked up each card, noting down the names written within each one. A card with a bowl of ramen painted upon it was from Iruka. Another card, obviously home-made by some small children, from Konohamaru, Udon and Moegi. Yet another, showing a beautiful lake scene, from Hinata. Another, with clouds painted on it, from Shikamaru and Ino. Another ramen card, this time from Ichiraku Ramen and holding two vouchers for free ramen.

_Naruto-kun will like that very much_, Sakura thought, amused.

Sakura continued to read through the cards. A simple card showing ninja dogs from Kakashi. Another card showed a casino scene, from Tsunade and Shizune. The last card had a dirty joke in it, which Sakura felt very offended at. Inner Sakura was screaming for blood within her mind.

"Jiraiya?" Sakura wondered, her distaste showing. "Isn't he one of the legendary Sannin?"

To her surprise, the white-haired man grinned and nodded, pointing at his own nose. Placing the card back, she bowed politely to Jiraiya. "Nice to meet you, Jiraiya-sama," she said politely, yet she was still truly disgusted at the hermit's taste in jokes. Jiraiya laughed, and stood up. Bowing slightly to Sakura, he said "You must be Haruno Sakura!"

Sakura blinked in surprise, unsure of what to make of the tall, white-haired man. Jiraiya gestured towards the now empty chair, motioning that Sakura take a seat, his lips still stretched in a wide smile. Taking a seat and murmuring a thanks, Sakura then wondered "How do you know my name, Jiraiya-sama?" Her eyes were widened, looking at Jiraiya's rugged features. Jiraiya chuckled, and glanced at Naruto's sleeping body. "Oh, I'm Naruto's master. Naruto talks about you, always wondering how you are whenever we're away from Konoha," Jiraiya explained.

"Ah," Sakura simply replied, her eyes turning to look at Naruto. She blushed slightly, feeling touched that Naruto thought about her while he was away. She noted that Naruto was now no longer on a respirator, and his blood drip had been taken away, only leaving a drug drip to dull his pain. Colour had returned to Naruto's face and he was looking more like his loud self.

"Naruto-kun is looking much better," Sakura smiled. "Yeah," Jiraiya said, a lop-sided grin emerging, "Naruto's a tough guy. Takes a lot to keep him down. He's so damned stubborn." Sakura couldn't help but grin at Jiraiya's final word.

"Kakashi-sensei," Sakura whispered to the Jounin, her smile dropping. Kakashi looked at her with his visible eye, eyebrow raised. "Why did Sasuke-kun do this?" Sakura asked, her voice cracking slightly. Kakashi shook his head silently, then gently replied. "Sasuke is in a dark place right now. He has let his urge for revenge consume him." Sakura sighed heavily, her head dropping. "However," Kakashi continued, "I do have hope that Sasuke will eventually see the light and return." "Do you really think so?" Sakura asked, her voice without hope. Kakashi merely sighed, and said nothing more.

"What confuses me as well, Kakashi-sensei... is there was one time Sasuke-kun was so warm, so caring," Sakura murmured, remembering the first day Team 7 had formed. This sounded strange to Kakashi, but he did not comment. Instead, he merely wrapped an arm around Sakura's shoulders, comforting her. The girl then looked at Naruto once more. "Kakashi-sensei, I saw Gaara here," Sakura spoke again. Kakashi was slightly taken aback with surprise, yet he still said nothing. "He told me he owed Naruto-kun a large debt. What happened in that fight..?" Sakura wondered, her eyes slightly wandering, searching for the answer.

Kakashi exhaled, and withdrew his arm from Sakura, his elbows now resting upon his legs, his hands clasped. He took a few moments to organise things within his mind, then carefully spoke. "I do not know what was said between them, but little Pakkun was able to tell me what happened in the fight," Kakashi explained. Sakura thought of Pakkun, Kakashi's grumpy little ninja-dog. Her eyes met Kakashi's inscrutable mask, then his eye. "What happened?" Sakura asked.

Kakashi then went through a long explanation, detailing each of Naruto's and Gaara's attacks from Pakkun's viewpoint. Of course, Kakashi neglected to mention the Nine Tails, merely mentioning the Henge as simply a huge, ordinary fox. All through this, Sakura's eyes were widened in amazement, her jaw dropping slightly.

"In the end," Kakashi finished, looking at Sakura, "Naruto was dragging himself over to Gaara's prone body, not wishing to stop until you were safe." Sakura shook her head in amazement, looking at Naruto. Even though she had seen some of his power in the fight against Neji, she had had no idea his power was so thunderous.

_Is this really the same Naruto-kun I knew at the academy?_ Sakura pondered, her eyes still fixed on Naruto's peaceful face.

Just then, Naruto murmured slightly, incomprehensibly, his eyebrows knotting. His face betrayed his confusion and pain, his eyes still firmly shut.

He was waking up.

* * *

_nii-san _= Older brother. Hinata uses this suffix for Neji. While he is her cousin, he is still an older relative.

_sama = _Honorific suffix used for people the speaker respects highly.


	5. Discoveries

_**Discoveries**_

**_SORRY!  
_**

I would like to apologise for taking so long to get this chapter up! Things have happened in the past fortnight, which had sapped my energy and time. But things are now sorted out, and I hope to be able to update with Chapter 6 this week.

Thank you very much to everyone for all your reviews and support - it is very much appreciated!

**_Author's Note:_** Naruto and all related characters/trademarks belong to Masashi Kishimoto – however, this story is my own work, and continues from the latest Naruto manga developments (up to 224).

**_Speech in bold and italic is Kyuubi's voice._**

* * *

_Ouch... Damn it... I hurt all over..._

"...Hey, Naruto-kun is waking up!"

_What? Sakura-chan? I'm waking up..?_

"Hmm? That was quick."

_Kakashi-sensei? Am I really waking up?_

"**_Welcome back to the real world, boy._**"

Naruto's eyelids flitted open, the light temporarily blinding him. His head hurt so much. Everything hurt so much. His skin felt raw, scorched. He squeezed his eyes shut once more, grimacing with pain, a slight groan escaping from his throat. His throat felt so parched. Each time he swallowed, it felt as if there was a spiky ball inside his throat, ripping it up. The pain almost made Naruto want to return to his peaceful sleep. But he wouldn't sleep. He had to see Sakura-chan, Kakashi-sensei, all of his friends. He _wanted_ to see them, especially Sakura. Nothing was going to stop him.

Naruto forced his eyes open, his retinal nerves silently screaming in protest at the light. The world started to sharpen in focus. There was so much white.

"Hey, hey, Naruto!" Jiraiya's face snapped into focus, the Sannin's face only three inches from Naruto's own. The Sannin's face was split in two by an idiotic grin stretching from ear to ear.

"_AIIIEEEIIIEEERRRGGGGHHH!_"

Naruto's left hand smacked into Jiraiya's head with a resounding thwack. Jiraiya crashed into the ground and collapsed into a messy heap, arms and legs sticking out at all angles. His face was frozen in a blissfully unconscious expression, a thin stream of blood trickling down from his nose. Upon his temple was an imprint of the Leaf symbol.

Naruto looked at his left hand. Within its grasp was his forehead protector, the shine of the metal surface dulled where it had hit Jiraiya. The boy stared dumbly at the protector, wondering how it had got into his hand.

"Well, it looks like you've made a good recovery, Naruto."

Kakashi's voice snapped Naruto out of his dreamlike state. Ignoring the protesting scream of his muscles, Naruto slowly pushed himself up into a sitting position. His head sluggishly turned to face Kakashi. The Jounin's face was covered with his mask as always, but his exposed eye showed Naruto how happy the silver-haired man was.

"Nice hit," Kakashi chuckled, "and welcome back, Naruto. It's good to see you back." Kakashi's hand ruffled Naruto's hair, a parental act of affection. Naruto's face slightly lit up with a weak grin.

Then Naruto spotted Sakura sitting besides Kakashi. Naruto's smile dropped, and his mouth slightly opened and shut, not knowing what to say. Finally, Naruto croaked the words out:

"I'm sorry, Sakura-chan. I..."

Before he could finish his sentence, Sakura wordlessly leapt at Naruto, enveloping him with her arms, her cheek against his. "It's okay, Naruto-kun," Sakura whispered, her eyes closed.

Naruto's sore body was screaming from the pain of being held by Sakura. But he said nothing, merely biting his lip. Bittersweet feelings surged throughout Naruto. On the one hand, he was glad Sakura cared for him. On the other, he felt ashamed he could not bring Sasuke back for the pink-haired kunoichi. Sighing, Naruto's eyes looked at Sakura's pink hair, a fragrance of watermelon wafting into his nostrils. Wordlessly, Naruto wrapped his arms around Sakura, his right hand brushing across her back while his left still held his forehead protector. She didn't resist. Naruto could not help but feel sad, his mouth pulling into a trembling frown. He had always wanted to hug Sakura, and it was a welcome, soothing, soft feeling. But Naruto had never wanted his first hug with Sakura to be such a sad one.

Gently, Naruto pushed Sakura away. He looked into her sad eyes. It pained him to see Sakura's sorrowful expression. "Sakura-chan, I still promise that I will find Sasuke and bring him back. That's my promise of a lifetime," Naruto said.

Sakura, meanwhile, was unsure what to think. She still missed Sasuke and felt she loved him. But she didn't want to see Naruto killed. She felt numb, unable to draw coherent feelings from herself. Part of her wanted to scream:

_No, Naruto, forget it! I don't know who Sasuke is anymore! You've always been here for me, and I don't want to you get killed!_

Yet Sakura could not say anything. She didn't know what to say, what to believe. Then Naruto's voice snapped her out of her inner conflict.

"Did everyone else make it back OK, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto looked at the Jounin, anxiety in his voice. His cerulean eyes showed a lot of worry, and he started to nibble on his lower lip.

Kakashi, meanwhile, sighed. Sakura sat upon the side of Naruto's bed, and her head now hung, sadly looking at the floor. "Naruto," Kakashi said, gently and slowly, "Shikamaru and Lee are fine, and Kiba will be discharged later today. Neji, however, will remain in hospital for the foreseeable future while his wounds heal." Kakashi then shut his eye, pausing.

"Unfortunately, Chouji was unable to survive. He died after he had defeated one of the Sound ninja."

Naruto gasped. It felt like a cold hand had reached within him and pulled his heart out. He screwed his eyes shut, his hand gripping his forehead protector tightly. Pain burned through his hand as his grip tightened. He gritted his teeth in anger and sorrow.

"Dammit..." Naruto whispered.

He felt bad. He had hoped to see Chouji later so he could apologise for putting him down at the start of the mission. Now it was too late. He would never have the chance.

"You and Neji were close to death. It was a good thing that Hokage-sama sent three Sand shinobi to provide support to you guys. Gaara saved you, Naruto," Kakashi said.

"Gaara..?" Naruto's eyes widened in shock, and his mouth hung open. Some seconds later, a slight lop-sided smile crept across his lips.

_Heh, I never thought that racoon guy would be the one to save my life. I wonder if he's changed... _Naruto pondered, slight hope springing up within his chest.

Just then, the door clicked open. Two female shinobi stepped inside, one blond with deep brown eyes, the other dark-haired with dark grey and hazel eyes. Kakashi and Sakura stood up to face them and bowed respectfully, while Jiraiya still remained an unconscious, tangled heap on the floor. The blonde lady smiled, her eyes softening at Naruto.

"It's good to see you up, Naruto," Tsunade said, her voice showing relief. Shizune smiled gently at the blonde genin, expressing her relief as well.

"Hey, oba-chan," Naruto responded cheekily, a fox-like grin plastering itself across his face.

Sakura tensed. She could not believe what Naruto had just called Tsunade. Her urge to slap Naruto silly was only restrained by two things; Naruto was injured, and it would not do for Sakura to look foolish in the presence of the Godaime Hokage. Sakura's emerald eyes nervously watched Tsunade walk over slowly to Naruto, not sure what would happen next. What she saw next surprised her greatly.

Tsunade grinned, and bent down to kiss Naruto's forehead. A blush crept onto Naruto's cheeks, and his fox grin seemed to become wider than his head. The Hokage then lovingly ruffled Naruto's hair before making sure that his necklace was unblemished. The girl's frustration at Naruto's apparent disrespect for Tsunade melted away into astoundment.

_What..? _ Sakura thought, her eyes blinking in amazement, _They're behaving like family... It feels like I've found out a lot more about Naruto-kun in the past three days than I ever did in the past three years..._ Sakura's mind mused. She looked curiously at Naruto's necklace. She had never seen it before Naruto had been hospitalised - it was a thing of beauty, and its green jewel seemed to glow slightly. It was something Sakura had never seen before - it was nothing like any of the regular green gems she had seen in jewellery shops. While those gems reflected and shone in the light, Naruto's gem seemed to glow from _within_.

"Damn you, Naruto..." Tsunade smirked. As she checked Naruto over, her eyes occasionally glancing towards the clipboard she now held in her right hand. "You're a tough one, aren't you? You might be ready to go home tomorrow," the Hokage said, placing her left hand on Naruto's shoulder, giving it a little rub. Naruto, meanwhile, smiled gently at the news, scratching the back of his head. A question darted through Sakura's mind.

_Wait... But Naruto-kun almost died yesterday. How can he heal so fast and be home tomorrow?_

"But," Tsunade said, shaking Sakura's attention back to the real world, "I'm going to take you off active duty for the rest of this week, Naruto. You need to rest up. And no training either!" She wagged a finger at Naruto. The genin looked as if he was about to burst into tears.

"But... but..." Naruto stuttered, his face becoming determined. "I need to train and get Sasuke back! I promised!"

Sakura again felt lost, torn. But this time, she was closer to screaming at Naruto to tell him to stop.

Tsunade's face became quite serious. "Naruto," she began, her tone hard, "Sasuke is now a missing-nin. He has defected to the Sound. How do you expect to raid their village and drag him back?" Naruto looked down at his bedsheets, his hands gripping the sheets, a lost expression on his face as he mumbled. The Hokage sat on the bed besides Naruto, and leant in. "I know you made a promise," she whispered, her eyes glaring at Naruto, "but you won't be able to keep it if you go off and get killed. Besides, we cannot be sure that Sasuke will be willing to side with the Leaf once again. I'm not even sure if any of us can trust him now."

Tsunade glanced at Sakura, Kakashi and the still unconscious Jiraiya. Then she placed a hand on Naruto's hand and squeezed it gently. "Right now, your friends need you. They don't want to lose you as well as Sasuke," Tsunade said.

Sakura sat down on the opposite side of the bed, her eyes on the brink of tears. She and Naruto looked at each other, and Sakura smiled sadly. "Naruto-kun, Hokage-sama is right. I know you promised me, but I really don't want you to get yourself killed," Sakura sighed, her voice breaking. "I-If I lost you as well, I don't think I could take it any more, Naruto-kun." Naruto's cerulean eyes glanced downwards, sadness washing over his face.

"Okay, Sakura-chan," Naruto mumbled, resignation creeping into his voice. "But... I-I've never gone back on a promise, and I don't want to..."

"Then promise me this," Sakura said, her voice determined, her emerald eyes upon Naruto's face in a steely gaze. "Don't rush off and get killed. Yeah, it's hard not having Sasuke here, but what good is trying to keep a promise if it will only get you killed? I really don't want to lose a good friend like you as well."

Naruto looked at Sakura's eyes and blinked. He hadn't expected that. Not only had Sakura not used the "kun" suffix for Sasuke, she was also pleading with Naruto to stay. And... Sakura sounded so... strong. Surprised, Naruto could only nod dumbly in agreement.

Kakashi secretly smiled under his mask. _Naruto and Sakura have grown a lot. Especially Sakura... she seems to be coping,_ Kakashi thought, his relief evident. While he would never say it, he had secretly feared that the failed mission would drive a wedge between Naruto and Sakura. However, Kakashi made a mental note to ask Tsunade to ensure Naruto was placed under ANBU surveillance for a week or two. He knew that Naruto had a legendary stubbornness, something that Kakashi admired, but also something that he feared could easily get Naruto killed. He also wanted to make doubly sure Naruto didn't try to train - having him jumping about within the same week of almost dying would just bring too many questions from the kids. That was one reason why Tsunade forbade the training.

Tsunade smiled at Sakura, nodding her approval. "Well, I should go and check on Neji," Tsunade said, excusing herself. She looked at the dazed Jiraiya and sighed with irritation. "Kakashi, could you please take Jiraiya back to his lodgings? I hate to impose this upon you, but I really don't want him bleeding all over the hospital floor," Tsunade finished with a wry grin. Shizune bit her lip in an attempt to hide her amusement.

"Hai..." Kakashi chuckled nervously, scratching the back of his head. The Hokage and Shizune then made their leave, the dark-haired kunoichi flashing a smile at Kakashi over her shoulder as she left. The silver-haired man blinked a little at the retreating form of Shizune. Shaking his head, he bent down and draped one of Jiraiya's arms around his shoulders. As Kakashi stood, struggling a little under Jiraiya's limp bulk, he turned his eye at Naruto and Sakura.

"Sakura, Naruto, I'll see you guys later," Kakashi said. "And Sakura..." Sakura focused on Kakashi, her attention fully upon him. "Make sure Naruto doesn't try to run away from this room," Kakashi ordered, a smirk forming under his mask. Naruto could only grin sheepishly, his right hand scratching the whiskers on his cheek. Sakura turned her eyes upon Naruto, her lips curving upwards into a smile. Naruto grew nervous at that smile. It felt somewhat threatening, as if Sakura was thinking; _If you try to run away, my dear Naruto-kun, I will break both of your legs_.

"Well then, I'll be off," Kakashi said, his wolfish grin hidden by his mask. His eye, however, glinted dangerously at Naruto, which made the blond cower a little. With a puff of smoke, both Kakashi and Jiraiya disappeared.

-------------------

Naruto was sitting up in his bed, his back supported by a few large pillows. He watched Sakura as she peeled and sliced the apples on her plate. His face had a faraway expression upon it as he remembered what had happened between Sasuke and Sakura the last time they were in the hospital.

**_::::Flashback::::_**

Naruto looked upon the scene with shock. Apple slices were scattered all over the floor, some crushed underfoot. Sakura stood in silence, her back turned towards Naruto. Even though he could not see her face, he could easily sense she was upset. And frightened.

Sasuke's eyes darted to where Naruto stood. The Uchiha's dark eyes coldly glared at him. Naruto flinched in shock and confusion.

"Wha... What?!" Naruto stuttered. He looked at Sasuke's expression of hatred with confusion in his blue eyes. He shifted uneasily, a drop of sweat trickling from his temple.

_This doesn't look good... Sasuke feels different..._ Naruto thought, worriedly.

Sakura flinched and turned to face Naruto, now aware of his presence. She gasped slightly.

"W-Why are you staring at me like that..?" Naruto slowly asked, confusion still evident in his voice. Sakura's emerald eyes widened with fear as they darted between Sasuke and Naruto. Naruto could feel the tension building up in the air. He could even taste it. Something was seriously wrong.

"Hey... Naruto," Sasuke spoke, his voice cold and hard.

"Fight me. Now!" The dark-haired boy spat out those words.

Naruto looked at Sakura, who gasped. He could see the fear in her eyes.

"What are you babbling about!? You're still recovering..." Naruto stammered. He could not understand why Sasuke was behaving like that. It didn't feel like Sasuke at all.

"_Shut up and fight me!_" Sasuke screamed at Naruto. Red flooded into his eyes as Sasuke activated the Sharingan bloodline. His face was distorted with anger, hate.

Naruto heard Sakura gasp. She sounded so frightened. He was so confused. Even scared.

**_::::End Flashback::::_**

_If I had known about the curse seal back then... would things have been different?_ Naruto mused. He kept repeating the thought over and over in his mind. Would things have turned out different? Would he and Sakura have been able to stop Sasuke? Would Sasuke have snapped out of his madness?

The boy sighed deeply, closing his eyes.

Sakura glanced at Naruto. She could tell he was feeling very down - his grinning mask having slipped. Sakura correctly suspected that Naruto was thinking about Sasuke, wishing that things had turned out differently. Turning her eyes back to the plate, Sakura deftly sliced the last of the apple up. Training with kunais would make any ninja very capable of preparing food. She gently placed the knife down on the bedside table and inspected her work, which nestled on her lap.

_It feels a little strange I'm doing this for Naruto-kun... But I feel I owe him a lot,_ Sakura thought. Her mind cast back to the time Naruto had left with Shikamaru and his team to get Sasuke back.

_Sakura-chan, you really like Sasuke, huh?_ Naruto's voice sounded in Sakura's head._ I know how much pain you're in because of Sasuke. I can understand._

_ I can understand._

Those three words replayed themselves again, and again in Sakura's head.

_Naruto-kun has always helped me, protected me, made me feel better... and what have I ever done for him?_ Sakura thought sadly. She felt utter guilt at having pushed Naruto away so many times during the early days of Team 7. Yes, she had started to care for Naruto, cheered him on, worried for him since around the time of the Chuunin exam. But she had always slighted him in her endless pursuit of Sasuke.

_How could I have treated him like that?_ Sakura sighed slightly, _I have so much to make up for, before I can really regard myself as a friend for Naruto-kun... He's always been so good to me._

_It took a mission that nearly resulted in his death for me to really see him. How could I have been so damned stupid? I did him wrong._

"Sakura-chan? Are you all right?"

Naruto's voice brought Sakura back to reality. It was then that Sakura suddenly realised she had been crying, her thoughts having stirred strong emotions within her. Quickly, Sakura wiped her tears away and smiled at Naruto. Gently grasping the plate of apple slices, Sakura stood up from her chair and sat down on Naruto's bed.

"Here, Naruto-kun. Help yourself," Sakura said brightly, as she offered the apple slices to Naruto. Seconds passed as Naruto studied Sakura's face. Sakura started to wonder if Naruto had completely seen through her act, her forced smile. But if he had, Naruto did not reveal it for he gave her a warm foxy smile and took a slice.

"Thanks, Sakura-chan, that was really nice of you," Naruto said gratefully before slowly eating the apple slice. Sakura's lip then curled up into a slight, genuine smile. Then a voice sounded in her mind.

_Tell him now, Sakura. Tell him._

"Naruto-kun..." Sakura started. Naruto gulped down the last part of his slice, and gave her his undivided attention, his cerulean eyes shining brightly at her. "I want to say thank you, and I -"

Sakura was cut short as Naruto slowly placed a hand on her shoulder. His movement was careful, cautious, as if he was afraid of springing a trap.

"I know. I heard you while I was sleeping, Sakura-chan," Naruto said gently. His eyes smiled, his lips curving up into a warm smile. Sakura blinked with surprise. At first, she wasn't sure if she would believe Naruto's words, but there was something about his expression that chased away those doubts. He felt so honest, so open.

"Okay," Sakura simply said, nodding. A smile crept onto her lips once more. Without thinking, she gave Naruto a quick kiss on his forehead. "Thank you, Naruto-kun," Sakura said. Pulling away, she could see Naruto's cheeks had gone beetroot red with blushing. The girl was very surprised at that reaction, since she had seen Tsunade kiss Naruto - and it had only been a slight blush then.

Sakura found herself smirking with amusement. "Don't get any ideas, Naruto-kun," she said, offering the plate of apples towards him once more. Naruto chuckled nervously, it was obvious he was still affected by the shock of having Sakura kiss him _anywhere_. "Aaa, sorry, Sakura-chan. First time I've been kissed by a girl..." Naruto apologised, his hand rubbing the spot where Sakura had kissed him. He took another apple slice, thanking Sakura again.

"Doesn't Hokage-sama count?" Sakura smirked, raising an eyebrow at Naruto.

"Hey, oba-chan is too old! She's 50!" Naruto retorted, before cramming the slice into his mouth.

Sakura laughed lightly. Catching herself, she felt so surprised that she could feel so much better with Naruto. It had been so easy to forget everything that happened recently.

Naruto noticed Sakura sigh sadly. "Hey... Sakura-chan. Want to talk?" he asked, the concern evident in his eyes. Sakura's eyes met Naruto's. Her face looked sad, worried. They looked at each other in silence for some seconds. Sakura had rarely seen this side of Naruto. But then, she had rarely paid attention to Naruto in the past.

"It's okay, Naruto-kun," Sakura said, giving a weak, sad smile. "It's just going to take a lot of time for me to understand things."

Naruto nodded silently. "Yeah... I know what you mean," he said. "A lot of things have changed, Sakura-chan. Sasuke..."

The very mention of Sasuke drove a pain through Sakura's heart. She had accepted that Sasuke only cared for her as family ever since he had left her that night. But it was still so hard to let him go, even after what he had done to Naruto. She had chased Sasuke for so long, and now he was no longer there.

"Sasuke's changed," Naruto continued, "and I'm scared."

Sakura suddenly blinked at Naruto. She had never heard those words from him.

_I'm scared._

"That damned curse seal changed Sasuke. Damn Orochimaru... Damn Itachi." Naruto snarled. His cerulean eyes seemed to darken with anger. For a fleeting moment, Sakura could have sworn she saw a few strands of red creep into those blue eyes. But she dismissed it, thinking she was just seeing things.

Naruto exhaled sharply, banishing his anger in that single breath.

"I'm sorry, Sakura-chan," Naruto apologised, bowing his head. "Don't be sorry, Naruto-kun," Sakura responded, offering the apples once more. Naruto smiled weakly and took two slices.

"I'm scared too," Sakura admitted, edging slightly closer to Naruto. She swung her legs up onto the bed, and sat on her knees.

"Naruto-kun." Sakura's words made Naruto look at her, still chewing the first apple slice.

"I saw Gaara here earlier," Sakura spoke. Naruto's eyes widened, and his ears pricked up. He swallowed his apple slice. "He told me he owed you a debt, and that you had a common pain," Sakura continued, her eyes gazing intently at Naruto. "What did he mean by that?"

Naruto's eyes flitted downwards. He had already told Sasuke when he fought Gaara, so he may as well tell Sakura. She was important to him, and he did not want to push her away.

"The pain of growing up alone," Naruto said simply. Sakura's shoulders drooped and her lips parted slightly. He looked so pained to her.

"In our childhoods, Gaara and I grew up, alone, hated. Each day was a hell for each of us." Those words carried a lot of pain. Naruto's eyes looked so sad, tears seemingly always on the brink, never falling. Sakura sat in silence, not knowing what to say. She had never, ever seen that side of Naruto. The Naruto behind the foxy grin.

"I was rescued from that hell when I graduated. Iruka-sensei was the first to acknowledge me. Then I found friends like Kakashi-sensei, Sasuke, and... you, Sakura-chan." A smile glimmered on Naruto's face. Sakura was frozen, sorrow for Naruto welling up within her. Naruto's smile faded away. "But, Gaara never had anyone like that. He was stuck in his hell, and I thought he was strong because he always fought for himself - because he survived that solitude. I thought I was nothing compared to him," Naruto said, his voice a whisper.

"But then..." The boy's voice rose slightly, an edge of strength creeping into it. "I remembered Haku's words all that time ago. That when you have people who are precious to you, when you have something special that you want to protect... you can become truly strong." Naruto's turned towards Sakura, and he smiled. Sakura was speechless, and she wanted to cry. To cry for having misjudged Naruto so badly in the past. For not truly seeing how he had suffered in the past.

"That alone gave me the strength to beat Gaara and save you and Sasuke." The pain seemed to wash away from Naruto's face, and he smiled warmly once again.

Sakura leant into Naruto and gave him a hug, wrapping him tightly in her arms. "I'm so sorry, Naruto-kun... I never realised how much it hurt... to be alone," Sakura whispered, tears trickling down her cheeks. "Aaa, Sakura-chan," Naruto replied brightly, "I'm not alone any more." Sakura smiled at those words. "Yeah, you're not alone any more, Naruto-kun. And you never will be again," Sakura whispered.

_I swear I will never, ever mistreat Naruto-kun EVER again_, Sakura silently swore, binding herself to that silent oath.

"Naruto-kun..?" Sakura asked, "why does everyone hate you so much?" Naruto flinched slightly, and he gently broke Sakura's hug. The pink-haired girl looked confusedly at Naruto, unsure why he had reacted like that. Naruto, meanwhile, smiled sadly at Sakura.

"Sakura-chan... I'm sorry, but..." Naruto said, "I'm not ready to tell you yet. I promise I will tell you someday, but I'm just not ready." Despite his smile, Sakura could see there was a lot of pain. She wanted to protest, to push Naruto, but her better half told her not to.

_Just what could be so painful for Naruto-kun, and make everyone who doesn't know him hate him?_ Sakura thought. She brought her hands to rest on her knees, and reluctantly nodded at Naruto.

"Okay," Sakura whispered, "I understand."

The two shinobi sat in silence for some time after, comforted by each other's presence. Things would never be the same again for Naruto and Sakura. Especially for Sakura.


	6. Arashi

_**Arashi**_

**_Author's Note:_** Naruto and all related characters/trademarks belong to Masashi Kishimoto – however, this story is my own work, and continues from the latest Naruto manga developments (up to 224). 

_Edit: Some unwanted text has been removed - hopefully it reads better!_

**_Speech in bold and italic is Kyuubi's voice._**

* * *

The door burst open, thudding into the wall at the end of its swing. In the doorway stood a silver-haired, masked Jounin. He struggled under the massive bulk of an unconscious, white-haired man dressed in a traditional red and white costume, with matching red wooden sandals. His mask inflated and deflated at his mouth in gasping breaths, as he struggled to drag his load along with him through the hallway and into the lounge.

Kakashi groaned with relief as he released Jiraiya onto the couch, glad to relieve himself of the heavy burden. He cracked his spine, relocating some vertebrate, and rubbed his shoulder. While Kakashi was a very athletic young man in his mid-twenties, it was not often he was asked to move such massive loads. Like Jiraiya, for instance. The Sannin was quite large, and he had a heavy, muscular body which looked in very good condition for a man of his age. While Jiraiya lay on the couch like a rag doll, the Jounin carefully pulled the Sannin's overlarge scroll from underneath him, taking care not to tear it or dump him onto the floor.

The scroll now removed, Kakashi held it in his hands in a ceremonial manner. His visible eye casually scanned its battered red leather and cream coloured paper. He noticed the large written incantation stuck onto the scroll, sealing it shut.

_That's a very powerful-looking seal there,_ Kakashi thought, one hand lightly brushing across the paper seal, _and it looks like one of those seals that can only be opened by the blood of the person it is made for_. There were no clues as to what lay within the scroll. For a fleeting moment, the silver-haired man fantasised of all the Come Come Paradise secrets that the scroll could contain. As the dirty thoughts milled around his mind, Kakashi could not help but chuckle pervertedly, his cheeks flushing. Oh, if only he could get a sneak peek at the master's work in progress!

_Back to business, Hatake Kakashi! _The Jounin's mind scolded him. Slowly, and carefully, he reluctantly placed the large, heavy scroll down upon the glass table in front of the couch. There was something odd about the table. Squinting carefully, Kakashi realised that images of naked women were engraved onto the clear surface. He sighed and rolled his eye. Jiraiya was much, much worse than him when it came to perverted fantasies. While Kakashi openly read his Come Come Paradise books, that was where he drew the line. He never peeked at women, and he never decorated his flat with erotic art. In fact, the books were simply excellent at keeping females at bay, saving him from unwanted attention.

As Kakashi's eye scanned the room, taking in various pictures and scrolls hung upon the walls, he reached into his utility pouch and took out a small glass bottle. Carefully unscrewing its top, he focused on an old photograph in a simple wooden frame. It had what looked like pride of place in the middle of the wall, and stood out like a sore thumb amongst the erotic art scattered elsewhere on the wall.

It was a photograph of Jiraiya in his mid-twenties, with a handsome young blonde boy with striking cerulean eyes. Yondaime. Yondaime had studied under Jiraiya while he was a promising young Genin, and he had grown incredibly strong and brave.

Kakashi's exposed eye grew misty at the memories. _I miss you, Arashi-sensei,_ he thought, a nostalgic smile creeping along his lips. Shinzui Arashi was Yondaime's real name, and he had been Kakashi's team leader when the silver-haired man was still a young 5 year old Genin. That was some years before Arashi had been accepted as the Yondaime Hokage. Kakashi had never met anyone like Yondaime before, and it was incredible to think that such a powerful shinobi could also be so down to earth and seemingly carefree. So human as well as superhuman.

**_::::Flashback::::_**

A tall blonde-haired man stood amongst several fallen ninja, his long white coat billowing in the breeze that caressed his young face and ruffled his hair. That man had taken out 12 enemies without breaking a sweat. He wasn't even breathing hard. His fallen enemies, meanwhile, were covered in red dust from the ground, their faces soaked in sweat. They gasped and writhed in pain.

"When someone is protecting their precious people," Arashi said calmly, "the true strength of a shinobi will manifest."

"I don't let my comrades die." The man turned to face Kakashi, Obito and Asuma, and flashed a fox-like grin.

The three genin were surrounding the client, kunais in hand, protecting him just as their sensei had ordered. Kakashi could not help but gawp at Arashi in sheer admiration.

_Arashi-sensei is so... **cool**._

That single Jounin had taken out a dozen Chuunin-rank shinobi, and made it look easy. The Chuunins had attacked Arashi and Team 5 in a surprise attack, obviously hoping to capture the client, an inventor, and use his expertise to further the ambitions of their village. They had not reckoned on Arashi's skill - and that was where they had failed.

All of a sudden, the blonde Jounin groaned. He bent over double, clutching his stomach, his face grimacing in pain. Kakashi shot forward and was at Arashi's side in a matter of seconds.

"Arashi-sensei!? Are you all right!?" Kakashi's eyes darted all over his sensei's body, looking for any signs of kunai, shuriken, or even poison. He was very worried.

Arashi laughed nervously, his face creasing up in amusement despite the pain.

"I knew I shouldn't have drunk that spoiled milk in my rush to get ready this morning..."

**_::::End Flashback::::_**

The Jounin chuckled at the memory. There had never been anyone like Arashi, and there most likely would never be anyone like him. Except perhaps Naruto.

_Naruto's very interesting indeed, but he still has so much to learn, _he pondered.

He could see Naruto shared an uncanny physical resemblance with Arashi, and even had the very same pig-headed stubbornness and nindo that had seen them through many a trial. He even possessed some of the cunning the Fourth had. However, that was where the similarities ended for Kakashi. Naruto was very hot-headed in comparison, and tended to charge in with his fists, while Arashi would vary his tactics depending on the situation. Still, Kakashi had suspicions he had not been let into the full picture. There was so much mystery surrounding his young charge. His history could be summarised in just two sentences:

Naruto is an orphan.

Naruto's parents are unknown, and he has no known living relatives.

Kakashi could not quite put his finger on it, but he could _feel_ it. He could feel that something was being kept from him. That feeling had grown ever since Jiraiya had taken Naruto under his wing, and trained him to use Kyuubi's chakra, summon frogs and the Rasengan. But Shinzui Arashi had never fathered any children, as far as he knew. And the small Shinzui clan, including his wife, had been wiped out.

Kakashi could so clearly remember that terrible night, how it had so drastically changed Arashi. He sighed and shut his eye, long-forgotten emotions of sadness and anger welling up within his chest, yet never breaking through his calm and collected demeanour.

**_::::Flashback::::_**

The sky was jet black, the clouds highlighted in a blood red by the inferno that raged beneath them. A barely-teenage Kakashi raced down the path leading to the Shinzui clan home, his feet slightly skidding on the loose granite surface. Sweat trickled down his brow, his eyes wide open, his breath panicked, ragged. Everything before him was blacked out, lit only by the ferocious flames that licked the modest homes. He could not see anyone, but he could _smell_ the blood and decay. The silhouettes of ANBU flitted amongst the flames, weapons at ready, as they searched for any survivors and enemy ninja. The only sounds Kakashi could hear were the roar of flames and the muffled shouts of orders amongst the ANBU.

The teenage Chuunin skidded to a halt at the main gate. There was already a small crowd before him, and three ANBU stood before them and the small compound. Those ANBU simply refused to let any of the people enter the Shinzui compound, citing that the area was not safe yet due to the fire and the possibility that a few enemy ninja were still around. A hubbub of protesting voices rose from within the crowd, many people expressing their desire to help control the fire and aid any survivors. However, the ANBU remained at their stations, seemingly unmoved by the outpouring of concern.

Kakashi's eyes darted around the area, taking in the chaos. He spotted a dead ninja lying near him, his forehead protector glinting in the firelight. Upon it was the stamp of the village of Hidden Cloud. Another ninja lain near him, this time bearing a Mist forehead protector. His right arm was a few yards away from his body, the two connected by a line of blood along the ground. The arm still grasped a large dull grey bladed disk in its hand.

_A Lightning and a Mist ninja?_ Kakashi pondered, frowning beneath his mask. His brow furrowed and his eyes narrowed into an intense gaze, scrutinising the two bodies. Either the Mist and Lightning village had teamed up to attack the leader of Konoha through his family, or they were Missing-nins working for someone. There was not enough evidence for Kakashi to draw conclusions, but what he _did_ know was that the Shinzuis had been attacked, and it was very likely the fire had been intentionally started. Arson.

A muffled shout could be heard, and many smaller shouts rose in response to that. All of a sudden, the rushing of water could be heard. Several water dragons burst out of the unseen lake at the centre of the Shinzui complex, soaring into the air, arcing gracefully, before colliding with each other and sending an almighty shower down into the flames. The fire flickered and died, a few tongues of flame desperately reaching up into the sky before they petered out. The damp smell of smouldering ruins drifted through the air, even making Kakashi clasp his hand over his nose. The smell of charred flesh. Violent coughs racked Kakashi's body, spit spattering onto the inside of his mask. While he had killed, and was quite familiar with death, the smell of burnt bodies was even worse.

Amongst the smoke, Kakashi could just make out several bodies scattered around the scene. Most looked like enemy ninja. But there were also women and children. Even elderly people. He could even see the body of a woman lying in a foetal position, shielding a small child. Both were dead. Most of the victims had been mutilated, their bodies hacked apart. Most of them were unarmed, save for a wooden walking stick or two.

The young teenager clenched his fists, his body shaking in fury and grief. He blinked back tears, not wanting to succumb to his emotions.

_No-one deserves to die like that... with not a blade to defend themselves with._ He ground his teeth in anger. This was a cowardly surprise attack on a family.

The three ANBU that stood at the gate started to roll out yellow warning tape, lines criss-crossing each other at the entrance arch. Behind Kakashi, a small group of Konoha policemen forced their way through the massing crowds. They were dressed in flak jackets and a dark uniform, with half-skirts hanging behind their legs and ending at the knees. Upon their shoulders was the symbol of the police - a shuriken with the Uchiha family symbol imprinted upon its centre. The four men walked past Kakashi and began to converse with the three ANBU members. The police captain was quite slim, and his face looked quite drawn, aged. Receding black hair was scraped back with oil, the strands quite short and spiky, and stopping at the base of his skull. His eyes were dark and cold, with heavy leathery bags underneath them. His cheekbones were very prominent, and this gave his face a hard, skeletal look. His expression was one of concern, yet also business-like.

Kakashi recognised one of the three men who accompanied the captain. He had neatly cut shoulder length hair with a central parting, his bangs neatly framing his face. He had a handsome face, and his jaw was fairly square. His eyes were red. An Uchiha. His Sharingan scanned the scene as his captain spoke with the ANBU. Kakashi felt a slight pang of jealousy. He had long admired the Sharingan, and would do almost anything to have that bloodline ability. The ability to see and copy jutsus sounded like heaven to the silver-haired teenager. This particular Uchiha was named Kyo, father of an infant son named Itachi, and elder cousin of one of his friends.

His envy of the Sharingan pushed to the back of his mind, Kakashi's ears slowly tuned into the discussion between the police captain and ANBU member. After a few seconds of tuning out the noise of the crowd, he was able to focus on their voices.

"The attackers came from several villages. Some were even formerly Konoha. We've taken care of them, and two ANBU squads are mopping up the ones who retreated from the scene."

"...Missing-nins?"

"Looks like it. Some were even in the bingo book as Class A criminals. But who hired them? And why did they specifically go for the Shinzuis?"

"Well, Shinzui Arashi _is_ the Yondaime Hokage. But he's away at the Chuunin exam in the Village of Sand."

"But why here? Why not attack Hokage-sama while he travelled to or from the Sand?"

"... This was an easier target..." The captain trailed off, into silent thought. His heavily bagged eyes then widened in realisation. "This isn't an attempt on Yondaime's life."

The ANBU nodded slightly in understanding. "Revenge," he said simply, his voice and mask hiding his emotions.

"Yes... revenge. It has to be him. We all know what he said when Hokage-sama was accepted into his post." The captain's upper lip curled up at one end in disgust. "He would easily be able to afford such men, and provide them with inside knowledge of Konoha's defenses. He _did _help design those defenses, after all."

"Orochimaru..." the ANBU snarled, clenching his fists.

**_::::End Flashback::::_**

Arashi had become a changed man after that terrible night. While he still fought to protect the village and still appeared to be the same old Arashi to everyone, Kakashi could easily sense Arashi was now a shell of what he had been, and was never the same man. He remained haunted by the deaths of so many people close to him, so precious to him. For every day of his little remaining time, Arashi visited the shrine of his family. The Yondaime Hokage hardly ever left Hokage Tower any more, except for important business matters and his brief visits to the shrine. Spies had been sent out to try and locate Orochimaru, but none were able to find any trace of the traitorous Sannin. That had frustrated the blonde man to no end, and there were times he would lose his composure. Even Kakashi had been on the receiving end of one of his explosive outbursts.

Two weeks later, Kyuubi Kitsune attacked the village. Arashi gave his life to protect the village from the wrath of the Youma, and sealed the demon within Naruto. The last of the Shinzuis was lost, and the clan became extinct. In only two weeks since the attack on the Shinzui compound, events had conspired to wipe out the last of the clan. The Third became Hokage once more, and he took Naruto in for the first couple of years. "The Rule" was created to protect the young baby, and anyone who broke the rule was expelled from Konoha. Jiraiya had taken the loss of his former student and the Shinzuis very personally, making it his mission to track down Orochimaru and, despite the Third's best attempts to convince him otherwise, left the village on a long lonely journey.

So much had happened to the village in those two terrible weeks, and nothing was ever the same. He had detested Naruto at first for the death of his beloved sensei. But the young Kakashi had come to realise that he could not blame a new-born baby for Arashi's death. The baby had done nothing, and Arashi had made the decision to sacrifice himself. That hate slowly gave way to sympathy and pity as he watched the baby grow up into a young boy, alone and hated by most of the villagers. That boy did not even know why, until Mizuki had revealed all - and Iruka saved Naruto. Ever since Naruto had understood why he was so hated, he gradually dropped his class clown act and truly grew as a shinobi.

Shaking his head, the silver-haired man cleared his mind of memories and old feelings. Time to focus back onto the present.

Kakashi then stooped slightly, and waved the clear bottle under Jiraiya's nose. The hermit coughed and spluttered, his face grimacing in distaste as the smelling salts irritated his nostrils. He brought a large hand up to rub his nostrils, wiping away the dried trail of blood from his previous nosebleed. His other hand felt his temple, and he winced.

"Dammit... I have a hell of a headache. That Naruto brat..." Jiraiya groaned, squeezing his eyes shut in response to the pain that shot throughout his head. His fingers traced the Leaf symbol imprinted upon his temple.

"What the hell is on my forehead..?" Jiraiya grunted. He slowly pushed himself up from the couch and staggered to the bathroom. Once there, a strangled scream of anger burst out of the bathroom.

"I am going to kill that brat! I have this horrible, ugly mark on my handsome forehead! And I have a hell of a headache!" The Sannin ranted on, still fingering the indentation on his forehead, his eyes murderously glaring at Kakashi, who simply stood motionless, silent, his bored eye gazing calmly at the irate, red-faced, white-haired man. The Jounin slowly and calmly screwed the top back onto the bottle of smelling salts, then stored the bottle within his utility pouch.

"I would give you a painkilling pill, Jiraiya-sama," Kakashi calmly spoke, his voice sounding bored once more, "but I am afraid that I left them at home so I could fit my book into my pouch." His right hand lazily scratched behind his right ear.

Jiraiya sighed, rubbing his eyes. He stepped back into the bathroom, and opened the glass cabinet - taking out a small bottle of pills. The bottle rattled as he shook out a pill.

"Sometimes I wonder why I decided to train Naruto. He can be so much trouble at times," the Sannin lamented, his mouth creeping up into a slight smirk, offering a glimpse of his perfectly white teeth. He threw the pill into his mouth, and chewed thoughtfully while he replaced the bottle within the glass cabinet.

"Why _did_ you take Naruto on?" Kakashi asked, his head tilted at Jiraiya. His eye no longer looked bored, but now carefully watched the older man's face. "I know that you want to protect him from the Akatsuki, but you could have simply acted as a bodyguard," Kakashi reasoned. He knew his statement could be so easily brushed aside by the Sannin, but he wanted to try and see if he could glean anything from his response.

"Being a bodyguard would have been no fun," Jiraiya grinned, swallowing what was left of the pill. "Besides, I think Naruto is an interesting egg... Of course, he's not a natural prodigy, and he too often acts rashly. But he has a hell of a spirit, and _instinctively _believes in victory, himself and his friends," Jiraiya said, his hand now pointing at Kakashi to emphasise his words. "And that, is the true talent of a shinobi."

Kakashi nodded with agreement, hiding his disappointment at not having been able to catch anything interesting from Jiraiya's response. "Yeah..." the younger man murmured, "Naruto reminds me of Yondaime in a funny way."

"That he does," Jiraiya chuckled. "You miss Arashi, don't you, Kakashi?" he asked, a faint smile on his lips, his hands now on his hips.

"Yeah. I miss him," Kakashi sighed, nodding.

_Which is exactly why you cannot know yet, young Kakashi..._ Jiraiya thought, his face and body not giving away any of his inner feelings and thoughts. Then he clapped his hands together, like a showman about to announce an event. "Sake, Kakashi?" the white-haired man asked cheerfully.

"No, thanks," Kakashi said politely, shaking his head. "I should return and see Naruto and Sakura - they're awaiting my return," he finished, waving his hand in the air. Jiraiya nodded, understanding, and poured himself a cup of water. He felt like drinking sake, but it was not a good idea to have some so soon after taking a pill.

Kakashi excused himself, and strolled down the hallway. His hand turned the handle on the door, and he paused, turning to face Jiraiya once more.

"Do you need any beta-readers, Jiraiya-sama?" Kakashi asked, smiling slightly, his eye glinting with hope.

Jiraiya scoffed. "Sorry, I don't use beta-readers. But I'll keep you in mind, Kakashi."

The Jounin smiled with resignation, and shrugged his shoulders. "It was worth a try," he said. With that, Kakashi opened the door, stepped outside, and carefully shut the door behind him.

* * *

Sakura snapped out of her slumber as soon as she heard the door open. Blinking sleepy tears out of her emerald eyes, she turned to face the ajar door. She blinked some more as the scene sharpened into focus, revealing a silver-haired Jounin standing in the doorway, his eye gazing at her.

"Kakashi-sensei," Sakura greeted wearily, covering her mouth with her hand and surpressing a yawn.

Kakashi cocked his head slightly and surveyed the scene before him. Sakura was laying on Naruto's bed, on top of the sheets, while Naruto was under them. The boy was sound asleep, a content and peaceful expression on his face. His spiky hair fell over his brow in places, giving his appearance an appealing softness. His hands cradled his prized forehead protector, and lain upon his chest, over his heart. His head was nestled upon Sakura's shoulder, her arm wrapping around the back of his head and down over his right shoulder, her hand on his chest. Sakura herself looked as if she had been enjoying a short nap, clearly bleary-eyed. She looked upon Kakashi with a quizzical expression on her face.

"You guys look cute," Kakashi chuckled, "I wish I had a camera."

Sakura's cheeks flushed furiously and she yanked her arm from underneath Naruto's head, jerking him awake. She was clearly stung by Kakashi's comment, her lips pouting in irritation, her eyes blazing furiously at the Jounin. She was clearly trying to think of a suitable comeback, but words failed her. So, instead, she seethed at Kakashi in silent fury.

"Wha... Who..?" Naruto groaned, his eyes half-open. His head felt as if it was stuffed with cotton wool, and it took him some seconds to get a grasp on himself. He blinked at Sakura and Kakashi, before noticing Sakura's red cheeks. She looked as if she was about to explode in Kakashi's face. Kakashi, meanwhile, was chuckling and lazily scratching the back of his head.

"Sakura-chan? Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked, confusion evident on his whiskered face. He really had no idea why Sakura was glaring at their sensei. In fact, he didn't even remember falling asleep in her arms.

Sakura snorted sharply at Kakashi, her blush finally receding. The Jounin waved his hand dismissively at Naruto, still chuckling. "Don't worry, Naruto, it's nothing," he said. The pink-haired girl shook her head, sighing with exasperation.

The silver-haired man cleared his throat twice. "Anyway, guys, I wanted to let you know that I will be away for a few days. We still have a small backlog of missions," Kakashi explained. "So, Team 7 is suspended until I come back next week. When I come back, we will meet the new member of the team, and discuss our training," the man said, casually shrugging his shoulders.

Naruto and Sakura said nothing, staring downwards at the bedsheets. They had still not accepted Sasuke's betrayal, and were finding it hard to believe that they would be working with someone else.

"Naruto, Sakura," Kakashi whispered, "I know that it will take time to accept what has happened, but we must move on. There is still much you guys need to learn. Even I need time to accept this." His eye showed sadness and regret. "We did all we could to help Sasuke, but he chose to leave Konoha," he finished.

The two genins nodded and murmured their understanding, neither one looking up at Kakashi, nor at each other. The Jounin shifted slightly at the uncomfortable silence. Ever since they had met half a year ago, Kakashi had started to feel like a father for Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke. To see his two students hurt by the betrayal of the third hurt him a lot.

"Take care, guys. Remember that you're not alone here," Kakashi said, bowing his head slightly. "Sayonara," he called out, waving back at them as he left the room.

Naruto and Sakura finally lifted their eyes and watched Kakashi leave. "Take care, Kakashi-sensei," Naruto whispered. Sakura, meanwhile, said nothing. The blonde then wrapped his arms around Sakura's shoulders, and she leant into him, settling her head into the crock of his neck. She shut her eyes and exhaled slightly, relaxing into him.She didn't know why, but she felt so comfortable.

"Are you hungry, Naruto-kun?" Sakura asked after a few moments of silence, not shifting from her current position.

"God, I could murder a bowl of ramen," Naruto moaned, his stomach rumbling in agreement.

"Only one bowl?" Sakura questioned, raising an eyebrow and smirking.

Naruto shrugged helplessly, grinning nervously. "I'm not sure I can eat much more than that, Sakura-chan," he said.

Sakura smiled and patted Naruto on the chest, making his blood surge throughout his veins and his heart speed up. She didn't notice, and pushed herself off Naruto's bed, swinging her feet down upon the ground. The blonde gulped. She still had the power to make Naruto's heart race, and he could never get used to it. However, he also felt guilty at feeling like that - what right did he have to think like that about Sakura, when he had failed to bring Sasuke back for her? Right now, Sakura was having to get over Sasuke's betrayal - and she did not need Naruto chasing after her.

_I won't bother Sakura-chan any more with requests for dates for a while at least!_ Naruto vowed, closing his eyes and crossing his arms. He nodded once with a grunt, emphasising his silent promise to himself.

Sakura noticed Naruto's odd gesture just as she was about to stand up. She looked curiously at Naruto, one brow raised, her arms still by her side and ready to push herself up. Naruto, in response, chuckled nervously and waved his hands at her.

"Don't worry, Sakura-chan! It's nothing!"

Sakura blinked, and looked strangely at the blonde boy. After what seemed like an eternity to Naruto, she turned her eyes away and pushed herself off the bed and stood. He sighed inwardly with relief.

"I'll see if I can sneak some ramen in from the hospital canteen, Naruto-kun," Sakura said, giving him a wink. She then left the room, gently shutting the door behind her.

Naruto flopped back into his bed, sighing heavily. He stared at the harsh fluorescent light on the ceiling, a slight guilt in his eyes.

He was convinced life had it in for him and loved to torture his heart.

_Shinzui_ = Mystery  
_Arashi_ = Storm

Chapter 7 will finally get Naruto out of hospital and around Konoha! And Team 7 will restart.


	7. New Beginnings

_**Chapter 7 – New Beginnings **_

**_Thank you!_** First of all, I would very much like to thank Ash and Aethos (**Sharingank** and **TheGreatAnimeFan** on - look at their work! Go on! They are fellow NaruSaku and ShikaIno fans as well!) for proofreading and reviewing the beta of this chapter! I owe you guys a lot for taking the time to help me with my writing. You rock.

And I would like to thank everyone who has taken the time to read and review this. Your comments have helped to keep me going! I will provide feedback to your reviews in future chapters, I want you to know I do read and care about what people think!

**_Disclaimer:_** The Naruto manga and its characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto, however this story and original locations/characters belong to me!

* * *

The sun peeked over the horizon, washing the clear sky around it with a golden light. Purple remnants of night retreated, flowing into the horizon to the west and out of sight. Streams of sunlight bounced off the colourful buildings of Konoha, casting long shadows across the ground. The rock face of Hokage Monument shone with a soft glow, radiating the warm colour of the stone.

Amongst the stone faces of the previous four Hokages, a rickety, unstable-looking scaffold covered with white canvas was mounted next to the bust of the Fourth. Underneath the rough canvas cloth, work was underway on the developing stone effigy of Tsunade, Fifth Hokage of the Leaf.

On the roof of the Shinobi Mission Centre, a white haired man casually leaned back against a steel railing, his arms crossed over his massive chest, his eyes keenly studying the scaffold, catching every moment a canvas cloth fluttered in the wind, hoping to glimpse the rock face that was beginning to take shape.

He smirked to himself.

Who would have thought that foul-mouthed, vain, hot-tempered and hopeless gambler would become a Hokage? If someone had come up to him ten years ago, and told him that Tsunade would become Godaime Hokage, he would have laughed the prophet out of the building.

Life was funny in that way.

His ears picked up the familiar clopping of high heels against hard ground. He didn't need to look up to know who it was, for that woman's footsteps had a certain pattern to them from decades of taijutsu training. Precise, cautious, rhythmic, yet light - her feet were always cocked, always ready to move fast. Plus, how many female taijutsu experts wore high heels?

"Morning, Tsunade," he greeted, his mouth briefly stretching into a cheery grin. His eyes wandered over to his right. They were greeted with the sight of a slightly dishevelled blonde woman. She was dressed in her usual attire of a sleeveless white kimono top, which exposed a considerable amount of cleavage, black slacks that ended at her calves, her trademark green jacket and of course those black strapped high heels. She rubbed the back of her neck with her hand, a slight groan escaping her lips as she sought to shake off the last remnants of sleep.

"You better have a good reason for wanting to meet me so early, Jiraiya," Tsunade muttered, a slight snarl in her tone. Her expression was one of irritation as well as tiredness. Her hands went to her hips as she impatiently awaited the man's answer.

Jiraiya's face took on an extremely serious countenance. His right hand slowly reached into his gi, and pulled out a tiny brown scroll with white edges. He held it up for Tsunade to see, then casually threw it over to her. She expertly grabbed the scroll out of the air with her hand. Her gaze remained fixed on her fellow Sannin as she slowly unravelled the scroll. Then her brown eyes flitted down to read the message contained within the brown paper, its writing tiny and precise.

Jiraiya folded his arms across his chest once more, and allowed Tsunade a moment of silence for her mind to digest the message.

"The Akatsuki are starting to move again. My friend tells me that they are stepping up their efforts to capture Naruto," he spoke calmly, his tone grave. "It seems that Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigaki Kisame have realised that he is starting to harness the power of the Nine Tails. Also, they know that I am protecting him. Apparently, upon hearing that news, their superiors decided to commit another Akatsuki cell to the cause of capturing Naruto."

Tsunade's jaw set, her frustration evident. Her deep brown eyes blazed with anger. The scroll crackled and tore as it was crushed within her fist. Her knuckles grew white as her fingers dug into her palms.

The white-haired man continued. "Now we have four Akatsuki members after Naruto. It's obvious he figures heavily in whatever they are planning," he sighed. "I do not know the identity of the additional two members, but we can be sure that all four will be waiting for an opportunity. For the moment we let our guard down."

The blonde woman's lips pressed hard against each other, becoming pale and thin. Ever since she had met Naruto, she had come to regard him as family - even if he was annoying and bratty at times. He reminded her of her long-deceased brother. The same brashness, the same cheeriness, the same spirit.

The same dream.

She would not let them take Naruto. Not if she could help it. She had no intention of letting a bunch of power-hungry murderers get their filthy hands on him.

She would not let them destroy his dream.

"I will make sure that the guards are on high alert. I will meet with the ANBU. Then I will talk to you afterwards," Tsunade snapped, the words rapidly coming out in the manner of a general issuing orders.

"And _I_ will personally make sure that they don't get _anywhere_ near Naruto," Tsunade snarled through clenched teeth, a piercing determination showing in her eyes. She could feel a burning resoluteness swell within her chest.

Spinning upon her heel, Tsunade marched to her offices, her blonde pigtails flying out behind her. She strode with a fierce determination, her heels clacking loudly against the concrete floor. Brown dust filtered out of her hand, the remains of the scroll wafting away into the wind.

She was not about to let another boy's dreams end.

She would protect Naruto and his dream with her life.

Not even God could stop her.

* * *

Neji lay in his bed, his pale eyes staring through the window in his room. He gazed at the cloudless sky, a faraway expression upon his face as his mind catalogued the events of the past few days. On occasion, his brow would twitch and his eyes narrow slightly while he pondered.

_The mission has and will change so many people_, he ruminated.

The image of Sasuke swam into his mind's eye. Neji frowned. He had respected the dark-haired Uchiha survivor for his skill and power. But now, he was perturbed by the other boy's betrayal.

_Sasuke is in a terrible, dark place now. Not even Naruto could stop him._

He closed his eyes, shutting out the peaceful scene beyond his window. The faint sound of birdsong was all that remained. He remembered the day the Hyuuga family members had whispered about the terrible massacre of the Uchiha clan at the hands of Itachi.

_Sasuke has given in to the pain and hate of his terrible past. I fear he now treads a path that will ultimately cost him everything._

Although Neji no longer automatically labelled people – a habit he had broken thanks to his defeat by Naruto – he still allowed himself to analyse others, to try and delve into their personalities and futures.

People interested him.

He was not one to chatter endlessly in an attempt to learn more. Instead, he would silently observe people's reactions, their mannerisms, their body language and their eyes. To him, those actions revealed so much more than mere words.

The most interesting pair of eyes Neji had seen belonged to a certain blond boy.

Uzumaki Naruto's cerulean eyes burnt with a courageous spirit. In their fight, Neji had tried so hard to break Naruto's spirit, to instil doubt into those eyes so that he could enjoy seeing the very moment the blond's dreams crashed down.

He had failed. Naruto's spirit was simply too strong to be broken. It was as if it was forged in intense flames. As if the blond had seen hell and lived through it.

Neji smiled wanly to himself. Naruto was one of the simplest people to read, yet he continually managed to surprise. Every time Neji thought he had figured out the blond, a new facet of his personality would show.

A rapid rapping on the door stirred the dark-haired Hyuuga out of his thoughts, his eyes snapping open. He straightened himself up in his bed, and swept a few stray locks away from his face, making himself presentable. He interlaced his fingers and rested his hands on his lap. Finally, his gaze swept to the door.

Neji spoke in an even and cool voice.

The door suddenly swung open and revealed a short boy with unruly blond hair and a mischievous grin on his whiskered face. Like Neji, he wore neatly ironed green pyjamas provided by the hospital.

Neji allowed a faint smile to break through his imperturbable exterior.

Naruto pulled a chair out to sit on, the legs making a faint scraping noise as he dragged it along the hard floor. He sat down roughly with a thump, and continued to grin at his pale-faced comrade.

Hey, Neji, Naruto spoke cheerfully, how are you doing?I am fine, thank you Naruto. I am glad to see you are now recovering well, Neji replied, his pale eyes scanning the visitor.

Naruto's toothy grin closed into a sincere smile, his cerulean eyes focused. Thanks, Neji. I knew you could beat that spider freak.

Neji sighed lightly, remembering his intense battle with Kidoumaru. It had been the closest brush he had with death, and it was also the first time he had killed an opponent. In the end, Naruto's words had spurred Neji on to victory, the Hyuuga unwilling to admit defeat.

_You're not a loser like me!I had a good role model, Neji spoke sincerely, looking upon the blond. Just like you, I refused to give up even though my opponent was formidable._

Naruto's brows shot up, and he blinked at Neji. He was surprised to hear he had inspired the stoic genin. His hand immediately started ruffling his unruly mane of hair, an idiotic grin plastering itself across his face. A hint of embarrassment could be detected.

Neji scoffed quietly. So Naruto could also be modest at times. Another surprise.

An expression of slight concern washed over Neji's face. Have you talked to Shikamaru yet, Naruto?

The blond boy shook his head, frowning.

I see. Neji set his jaw. His pale eyes narrowed thoughtfully.

Have you seen him yet? Naruto asked curiously. He wondered why the other boy seemed so concerned about Shikamaru.

No, I have not, Neji replied, I have only seen Yamanaka Ino, his former teammate. She delivered their card, and was very concerned for Shikamaru.What's wrong, Neji?From what I can gather, Shikamaru has been greatly affected by the failure of his first command mission and the death of his close friend, Chouji.

The blond genin inhaled, and nibbled on his lower lip. He didn't like the sound of this. He had come to respect Shikamaru as a leader. Even though their mission had failed, he had been very calm and focused – an admirable leader. He also knew the ponytailed chuunin would lay his life down for his comrades.

Naruto, if you are leaving soon, perhaps you could speak to him? Neji requested. He hoped that the other boy would be able to help Shikamaru up and snap him out of his depression.

Naruto nodded gravely. He didn't like hearing Shikamaru was down. Yeah... I will. I might be leaving today, he spoke casually. A look of surprise briefly flickered upon Neji's eyes.

_Hinata-sama, Lee and Tenten told me Naruto almost died... and he may be leaving today? _his mind questioned. But then, Naruto always surprised him. Perhaps it was that mysterious power he showed in their Chuunin tournament fight – did he possess a bloodline of sorts? Nobody knew his parents, after all – the orphan's past was shrouded in mystery.

How about you, Neji? Will you be leaving soon? Naruto's words interrupted the other boy's thoughts. His cerulean eyes wandered over to the heavy bandage on his friend's left shoulder.

The dark-haired boy shook his head sadly, a rueful smile upon his lips. I am afraid I will not be back to training for a considerable amount of time. My shoulder and side will take up to two months to heal.

Naruto sighed, his shoulders dropping.

Neji continued I hope I can be allowed to leave the hospital and return home. I certainly plan to attend Chouji's memorial service if I can. He was an honourable shinobi.

The blond's lips tugged into a frown as he thought of Chouji's tragic end. He had died so young, at a time when he was starting to flourish as a worthy ninja. It still hurt Naruto's heart to think of it.

Naruto nodded sadly. Yeah, I'm gonna try to attend too. Chouji was a good guy, I wish I knew him better.

Neji nodded slightly, agreeing with the blond's words. As do I. The past few days have changed everything, and many of us need time and help to deal with the aftermath, he said.

Naruto felt himself twist inside. He felt horrible for not being able to stop Sasuke, to pull him back to his senses. And Sakura... He hated to see her cry. Even though Sasuke was the object of her love, Naruto had been more than willing to bring him back for her – so he could see her smile.

When Sakura had told him that she had realised Sasuke would never love her, Naruto felt worse. Even if her love had been for his friend and rival, he hated seeing her heartbroken.

He would do anything for her. He would fight just for her to be happy and safe. Even if it cost him his happiness.

Neji's pale eyes carefully studied Naruto. He watched the cerulean eyes unconsciously flit from one direction to another, and the very subtle twitches of his facial muscles. He could tell that his visitor was experiencing uncomfortable feelings and memories. He wanted to offer encouragement, to cheer the blond. But the Hyuuga boy was never any good at that kind of thing. It never did come to him naturally.

Then Naruto smiled at the dark-haired boy, who could so easily see it was forced. I hope you get outta here soon, Neji, this place is damned boring.

Neji smiled slightly. I hope you will train hard, Naruto. I would like a rematch at some point in the future, he said.

Naruto grinned wolfishly. His eyes glinted dangerously at Neji. You bet I'll train my ass off! You'd better train hard too, Neji! I'll kick your ass again!

The Hyuuga snorted and smirked. I will look forward to it, Uzumaki Naruto.

_I'm sure you will surprise me yet again._

* * *

In her office, Tsunade leaned back in her large high backed leather chair, its soft and firm padding contouring around the woman's back. She closed her eyes and sighed quietly, taking comfort in the feel of the chair against her back. Her right hand glowed faintly with chakra and she gently rubbed the back of her neck with it, letting the flow of the chakra soothe away her stresses. She smiled slightly, letting herself enjoy the sensation for a moment.

It had been quite a stressful morning.

"Long morning, Tsunade?"

Hearing the deep voice, the Hokage blinked her eyes open and they slowly turned to face the speaker. Jiraiya casually leant against the door frame, his muscular build almost filling out the entire doorway. He had a lopsided grin on his face. Tsunade felt like slapping that grin off, yet she did not wish to leave her comfortable chair. Instead, she continued to massage her neck, but she allowed herself to frown and glare slightly at her fellow Sannin, the feeling of pleasure from the massage now lost.

Even though she knew Jiraiya was only trying to put her at ease, his relaxed mood in the current situation only served to irritate her.

"Unlike you, Jiraiya, the Hokage has to work hard for the village and its people," she said sternly, finally finishing her massage and placing her hands on the desk, interlacing her fingers. "I've just conducted TWO meetings." She lifted her right hand up, and started to count them off on her fingers. "One with the guardsmaster. One with the ANBU commanders."

A third finger joined the two outstretched ones.

"And now I have to speak with you." She let her three fingers stand out for a moment to emphasise her words, before placing her hand back onto the cool wooden surface of the desk.

She sighed, rubbing her eyes with the balls of her palms. Her ears picked up a faint clinking sound. Opening her eyes, she stared at a small cup of warm sake on her desk, a faint trail of steam rising from it. The sunlight shimmered and danced about on the liquid's surface. It looked so refreshing, so enticing to Tsunade.

She quietly picked up the cup, and knocked it back in one shot. She sighed contentedly as the warm sake ran down her throat.

"Thanks, Jiraiya, I needed that," Tsunade smiled.

The white haired man had already squeezed his large frame into the small leather chair across from the desk. With a slight smile, he waved her thanks away, indicating it was no trouble.

"So..." he began slowly, his eyebrows rising to convey his curiosity. "How did those meetings go?" He poured another cup of sake for Tsunade.

Taking the cup, Tsunade slightly licked her lips in anticipation. She quickly knocked the drink back, letting out another contended sigh.

"The first wasn't bad. They agreed to upgrade the guard to high alert. No guard will be left on his own, and the ANBU will be called in at the first sign of a missing guard or a late report. The second meeting, with the ANBU, was a little lively. I had to restrain myself from punching one of the commanders through the wall." She gritted her teeth slightly, allowing a small smirk to form at the corner of her mouth.

"Oh?" Jiraiya asked curiously, his eyebrows rising even further.

The blonde threw her hands up in exasperation. "That idiot Toho had the nerve to say it would be a lot easier for all of us if Naruto hadn't been spared when he was a baby! It's a good thing Ibiki and Yaiba showed their disapproval for his behaviour, or the elders might have had to call in the cleaners and decorators." Tsunade had heard that the villagers did not take to Naruto because of their fears and prejudices, but she had not expected for those prejudices to spread to some elements within the elite ANBU and higher ranked shinobi. She thought they would know better. But some veterans, like Toho Tanku, let their wounds from the battle against Kyuubi Kitsune fester.

They could never close those wounds until either they changed their mindsets, or that demon was dead.

_At least they remain loyal to Konoha_, Tsunade mused,_ but will that last?_

The hermit smiled slightly at Tsunade. Ever since she had met Naruto, she had become protective of the boy. She would never publicly admit it, but she had also started to show some motherly tendencies towards him.

"Anyway," she sighed, "the ANBU have agreed to keep their eyes and ears open for any information on the Akatsuki, and will move to terminate any members they can find."

"Easier said than done," Jiraiya replied, a serious expression washing over his face. "The Akatsuki are all S-Rank criminals from what I can gather, and I cannot glean any information about their leader. Any organisation or brotherhood has to have a leader of sorts." He drained his cup of sake as soon as he had finished speaking.

Exhaling, Jiraiya continued with his explanation. "The Akatsuki don't ever trust anyone. That makes placing spies within their ranks impossible. They also travel a lot, making it hard to follow them - they don't even seem to have a permanent base of operations. My fellow Sennins and I can only gain information from rumours and any chance meetings we can get. I'm too high-profile, so I can't get anywhere near them without having them scamper away like cockroaches." He smirked ruefully at his last words.

Tsunade shrugged. "Well, at least we can try. We've also made it as hard as possible for the Akatsuki to get in here. They won't be able to come in as easily as last time, now that Konoha's defences are fully rebuilt. We even added a few new surprises."

Jiraiya nodded in agreement. Then he tilted his head questioningly. "So, what's the plan for Naruto?"

"After he has had his 'rest'," Tsunade smirked at the word, then continued, "he will rejoin Team 7 and continue his training with them and you. You will accompany him on his missions since he is your student, and you are protecting him. As long as the Akatsuki cannot locate him, he should be fine. Just don't ever let him get out of your and Kakashi's sight."

"Alright then," the white-haired man nodded. He slapped his hands together and rubbed them, momentarily glancing at the sunny scene outside the window.

"One more thing, Jiraiya."

"Yeah?"

Tsunade leant forward, and smiled. Jiraiya knew that glint in her deep brown eyes. He groaned inwardly, and shifted uneasily.

She had something planned.

* * *

**_"WHAT!?"_**

Naruto's deafening scream ricocheted off the walls of his room, and echoed down the hall. Muffled complaints could be heard from outside the window and the other rooms along the hall.

Shizune swayed slightly on her feet, looking dazed and clutching Tonton tightly. Her hair was slightly frayed. She had expected the blonde boy to react with shock, but she had not expected him to be so loud.

"Hey,_ hey!_ Tell me why you're doing this!?" Naruto was now standing on his bed, still dressed in his green pyjamas. His finger was pointing accusingly at the black-clad kunoichi. His eyes blazed furiously at her.

He did not like the sound of this. Shizune had just come into his room and told him that he could leave hospital. That he had been overjoyed at. He had then babbled on about how he hoped he still had some instant ramen in his larder, and how he so looked forward to being able to sleep in his own bed. The hospital bed was comfortable, but it didn't feel homely to him. It didn't feel snug.

That was when the bombshell dropped.

Naruto was not going back to his old apartment. He wasn't going back to his instant ramen. He wasn't going back to his snug, old bed.

He had been told he would be living with Tsunade and Shizune at the Hokage's home.

Now that was something he had not expected to hear.

The ringing in Shizune's ears eventually subsided, allowing her hearing to return to normal. She shook her head, trying to clear it, amazed that Naruto could make people go deaf with a full blast of his lungs.

She knew she couldn't tell him the real reason why Tsunade wanted him to move in with them. They didn't want him looking over his shoulder all the time.

"Naruto-kun..." she began uneasily. "I thought you might like it if you had people to live with. And we like having you around." She made one of her cute smiles. Tonton grunted as if agreeing with her.

Naruto plopped down onto his knees and put his hands behind his head. He gazed up at the ceiling, his lips forming into a thoughtful pout. Shizune had a point. He did like her and Tsunade oba-chan. He did like the idea of living with others. But he couldn't deny that nagging feeling. While he was quite lonely at his apartment, at least it meant he never had to worry about unwanted interruptions. And he was in charge there, deciding when to clean (if he ever got around to it), what to eat and what to do.

He wasn't sure he could handle living with others.

"Hmm... I dunno..." he mused.

"Why don't I show you our place, and you can decide?" Shizune offered. She cocked her head slightly, looking at Naruto out of the corner of her eyes and smiling.

He sucked a breath in, and held it for a moment, still gazing at the ceiling.

"_Alright!_" he shouted, punching the air with both fists. "But that doesn't mean I've said yes!" he finished. He leapt off the bed, then looked at himself. "Er, I need to get changed..." He grinned nervously and scratched the back of his head. Shizune smirked with amusement, and reached into her bag. She pulled out a pair of orange pants, a black shirt and his trademark orange jacket. She smoothed the pile out, and held it out to the blonde boy.

"Here. All washed and ironed. The shirt is new, and I even fixed your jacket!" she chirped merrily.

"Thanks, Shizune!" Naruto's grin threatened to split his face in two, and he grabbed the clothes. He darted behind a green screen in the corner, and proceeded to change his clothes. Meanwhile, Shizune busied herself, collecting the cards on Naruto's bedside table and carefully stashing them into her bag. She glanced at the flowers in the vase and cursed under her breath for not bringing something to carry them in.

She shrugged and took out a pen and scroll.

_Well, I suppose there's no harm in taking the vase as well as long as I return it as soon as possible! _Shizune thought, impatiently scribbling down a note in the scroll. She then placed the scroll down on the bedside table, and picked up the vase - flowers and all.

"OK, let's GO!" Naruto yelled as he burst from behind the screen, green pyjamas under an arm, his headband on his forehead once more. Shizune smiled at the sight of the hyperactive blonde looking like his old self in his trademark orange outfit. He could not keep still as he constantly fidgeted and shifted his weight, waiting for the kunoichi and her pet pig to lead the way.

"All right, Naruto-kun, let's go then," Shizune spoke as she opened the door to the hall, her other arm holding the flowers and vase. Tonton shuffled alongside her feet, occasionally sniffing at the ground. An orange blur burst into the hall, the pent-up energy within Naruto obviously seeking an outlet. He dashed down the hall gleefully, enjoying the sensation of being free. Shizune walked as quickly as she could, heels rapidly tapping against the tiled floor, desperate not to lose sight of the blonde boy.

* * *

Sakura sprawled on her bed, staring up at her legs, which she had propped against the wall. Her light pink hair tumbled over the side of the bed, her bangs no longer kept tidy by her forehead protector which now lay on her dressing table. She now wore a white shirt and red cords which she felt very comfortable in. She closed her eyes and listened to the music blaring from her stereo. She could feel the beats making the walls shake, the vibrations travelling down her legs. Her hands gently slapped onto the duvet in time with the beat.

She loved listening to that CD of her father's. It was a foreign band, and their music was unlike any in Konoha. It was intense, and coursed with energy.

It was a good thing Sakura's father was away on a mission, and her mother was working at the shop. If she had played the music that loudly while they were around, she would have never heard the end of their nagging.

She really needed to lose herself. She tried to drown herself in the thudding bass, in the intense lyrics. She tried to hide from the world. She didn't want to think about _him_.

The stereo whirred as it randomly selected a new song from the CD. Once again, beats shook the bedroom walls.

_Don't lose your head,  
Don't lose your head,  
No don't lose your head,_

Oh, damn it. Sakura muttered to herself. She screwed her eyes shut harder, and hid her face with her palms. She didn't want to hear that particular song.

_Don't lose your head,  
Hear what I say  
Don't lose your way - yeah.  
Remember, love's stronger, remember love walks tall,_

She balled her hands into fists and slammed them down at her sides, onto the soft duvet. Her teeth ground with frustration. She could not shut out the song. It relentlessly assaulted her ears.

_Don't lose your heart,  
No don't lose your heart,  
Hear what I say  
Don't lose your way - yeah.  
Remember, love's stronger, remember love walks through walls,_

This was one of her favourite songs. But this was one song she did not need to hear. It was a song she knew by heart, and one she lived by.

_Don't drink and drive my car,  
Don't get breathanalysed,  
Don't lose your head,  
If you make it to the top and you wanna stay alive._

It was a song that had driven her through her fruitless pursuit of her crush.

Uchiha Sasuke.

It hurt to think of him.

It hurt so much to think of how he had betrayed his friends.

It hurt to think of how she had bared her heart to him on that night, only to see him walk away.

_Don't lose your head,  
Don't lose your head,  
No don't lose your head,  
Hear what I say - yeah,  
Hey, don't lose your way,_

She threw her legs above her head, gracefully flipping from the bed, landing on the floor on her feet. She strode the few feet to her stereo, which still played the song in blatant defiance of her wishes.

_Remember, love's stronger, remember love conque-_

The song was cut short as Sakura harshly slapped her palm onto the stereo's power button.

The pink-haired girl took a few shuddering breaths, each one saturated with a bitter mix of emotions. Her left fist shook at her side, while she wiped away emerging tears with her right hand.

Sadness. Fear. Regret. Confusion. Rage.

She could not understand how Sasuke could abandon everything for revenge. She could not understand why he had severed his bonds with his team-mates and Konoha.

She could no longer trust him for he had almost killed Naruto.

She felt she no longer knew Sasuke.

_But then, did I ever know him? _Sakura thought, a bitter smile briefly flickering upon her lips.

Even before the Curse Seal had been placed upon Sasuke's neck, the Uchiha boy had been cold and distant to her most of the time – the only sign he cared at all was when he had protected her as a team-mate.

She had placed him upon a pedestal of perfection, and believed in the myths and illusions she and many other girls had woven around Sasuke. She had let herself become seduced by those legends.

To her, Sasuke was perfection.

Her hand brushed through her silky pink hair. _I grew it long for him. But did he ever say he liked long hair?_

She thought of Ino. _I gave up my best friend for him. Just because she dared to desire him as well._

She thought of how she had hurt Naruto so many times. _I hurt Naruto-kun so much, elbowing him aside while I ran after Sasuke._

She smiled sadly at the thought of Naruto. She could not understand how he could take the brunt of her barbs and still smile for her. No matter how much she had hurt him in the past, he was always there for her. After he had told her of his painful loneliness, she had told him of the painful night that Sasuke left her and her heart shattered in pieces.

Naruto had listened in silence while she poured her heart out. Unlike Sasuke, he did not walk away. He did not treat her words lightly.

He was there for her. As always.

He understood her. As he somehow always did.

Later, Naruto told her that Sasuke cared about her like a sister. The blond wanted her to know that Sasuke did at least care about her.

That had been little comfort to Sakura. She felt she had been a terrible fool, making so many sacrifices for a crush, an illusion, a selfish love. Emboldened by the song she believed in, Sakura had ploughed on in her pursuit, believing that she could make Sasuke fall for her.

She felt she had so much to make up for.

It would not be easy for her to let go of Sasuke, but she knew she had to move on or she would wither away.

Her lips pulled into a frown, trembling with sadness and anger.

She was sick of crying. She was sick of feeling sorry for herself. She wanted to be stronger. She needed to be stronger. For her friends.

For Naruto.

_I have a lot to make up for with Naruto-kun_, she thought. Gaara's words filtered into her thoughts.

_Protect him just as he protected you._

She didn't know if she could be stronger. But she owed it to herself and to him to at least try.

Thinking back to the Chuunin exam, she remembered how Naruto seemed to have that incredible ability to make her want to do her best. How she felt she could believe in herself when he encouraged her.

How she felt so free while screaming for him to win against Kiba and Neji.

Sakura had never felt those kind of sensations with Sasuke. They were strange, and did not always make sense. She did care for Sasuke, and she did will him to win. But he never made her feel stronger. In fact, he had made her feel the opposite many times.

She didn't understand how Naruto made her feel so good, so secure, despite his faults. Perhaps she would in time.

_I hope I will_, Sakura thought. Her frown became a fond smile.

A slight rapping sound at her window alerted the pink-haired kunoichi. Her emerald eyes flickered open and looked at the full length window.

Behind it stood Ino. She carried a packet of sweets in her right hand, and wore a sky blue tank top with dark blue jeans. The blonde mouthed her words and motioned frantically with her hands, asking Sakura to let her in. Her frenzied movements made Sakura think of a mime.

She smiled at her old friend and giggled, her emerald eyes glinting with amusement, and she began to feel warm again.

_Today's a good day to start making up for my mistakes_, she thought as she opened the window.

* * *

Tsunade's deep brown eyes were solely focused on the thick tree trunk before her. Its outer bark was battered and chipped, the pale green inner bark showing through in many places. The sapwood even peeked through in a few areas, laying testament to the brutal blows that had rained upon the trunk.

To the Hokage, nothing else existed in her world. She and the tree trunk were all that had ever existed. Everything else simply faded away into oblivion.

She spun, slamming her left heel into the trunk. The bark groaned and cracked. Without a pause, Tsunade immediately threw a right cross as soon as her foot landed onto the ground.

A deep thud resounded where her fist had connected. She then angled her right arm slightly, allowing her right elbow to slam into the very same spot her fist had connected. Thick fragments of bark showered down onto the ground.

Again, without any pause, Tsunade spun, momentarily turning her back to the tree, and slammed her left elbow into the trunk. The satisfying crack of bark greeted her ears. She removed her elbow from the trunk, and listened as pieces of wood pattered down onto the soft dirt.

She allowed herself a smile of satisfaction. Ever since she had returned to Konoha as the new Hokage, Tsunade had trained hard to make up for her lack of combat sharpness. Her rustiness had almost cost her when she fought Kabuto, and she was saved by Naruto.

The Hokage smirked to herself. She had left Konoha so long ago, even before Naruto was born. She had heard news of Yondaime's sacrifice and the sealing of the Fire Youkai, Kyuubi Kitsune, and later learnt the name of the container.

Never in her wildest dreams would she have thought she would meet Uzumaki Naruto, container of Kyuubi Kitsune, and that he would inspire her to rekindle her spirit of fire and take up the office of Hokage.

_Not bad for a brat_, Tsunade smiled to herself. _But I'm not about to massage his ego._

She knew Naruto had a lot to live up to. He had a lot of potential. But that was all it was. Unless he worked hard, all that latent skill would go to waste.

For his sake, the truth had to be kept from Naruto as long as possible. She needed him to grow as much as he could. If he found out too soon...

Tsunade exhaled sharply and cleared her mind. She closed her eyes and positioned herself into a ready position and began a kata. She moved precisely, her arms and legs making graceful sweeping motions.

Once again, she became focused and alone in her own world.

Or at least she _was_.

The blonde woman came out of her stance, and shook her arms and legs briefly to relax them. She looked in the direction of the voice and saw Shizune, Naruto and her cherished pet pig Tonton, who trotted over to her, grunting happily. Smiling, the Hokage bent down and scooped the pig up into her arms.

About time you guys got here, Tsunade greeted, scratching the pig behind its ears. I take it you've agreed to live here, Naruto?

The blond boy crossed his arms indignantly. I haven't decided _yet_, Tsunade oba-chan! He huffed.  
  
She raised an eyebrow, and frowned slightly in irritation.  
  
Shizune grinned nervously, and waved a hand at her mistress. He wanted to see his room before he decided, Tsunade-sama.Well, what are you waiting for, Shizune? Show him! Tsunade smirked._ He's going to accept when he sees the house. Or at least I'll BEAT him into accepting it..._ she thought.

This way, Naruto-kun, Shizune smiled. She slid a door open and led the way into a hall. Naruto allowed an interested expression to appear on his face and followed the dark-haired kunoichi, his hands stuffed into his pockets. As they passed a door, he smelt the faint odour of sulphur. He raised an eyebrow and sniffed the air curiously.

Shizune looked over her shoulder and noticed Naruto's behaviour. We have a natural hot spring in this house. A nice luxury here, she explained smiling.

_Cool... _Naruto grinned broadly as Shizune moved on. He hadn't seen much of the house, but it was a large traditional-looking Japanese house with its own training area in the middle. Not only that, it also had a hot spring.

He liked it a lot so far. But he wasn't about to admit it just yet.

Here we are! Shizune announced merrily. She slid the door back, and stood aside to let the blond boy enter. Naruto peered inside, his cerulean eyes wide with curiosity and taking in every detail.

The bed was a traditional futon, and considerably more spacious than his old bed. Naruto walked over to it, and prodded it. It felt nice, just the right amount of firmness. Even though he liked his old bed, it had been starting to get very lumpy over the years of use. Taking his hand away from the bed, his eyes wandered over to the window. He sauntered over, the view expanding as he moved closer. He blinked and squinted in the bright sunlight.

The lush green outskirts of Konoha greeted him. To the left was a small red bridge crossing a stream.

Naruto smiled bittersweetly at it. He could almost see himself and his team-mates carrying out their usual morning routine.

_Ohayo, Sakura-chan!Morning, Naruto... Ohayo, Sasuke-kun!_

And of course, Kakashi would turn up hours late. Naruto and Sakura would scream at their sensei for being late and a terrible liar, while Sasuke would snort derisively and ignore them.

Naruto found himself wishing he could return to the old days. They seemed so carefree and innocent.

But he knew it was no good pretending things would go back the way they were.

Tearing his eyes away from the bridge, Naruto's gaze explored the rest of the scenery. He could just make out the dark stone walls of the Hyuuga clan peering over a hill on the horizon, the low roofs of the clan mansion barely visible over the wall. As his eyes swept to the right, the green scenery slowly gave way to the roofs of the houses and shops of the town centre.

He frowned as his eyes scrutinised the buildings.

_I can't see Ichiraku from here... _That was definitely a bad point in Naruto's mind. But then, he had never been able to see it from his tiny apartment.

He turned away from the window and gazed around the room. There was plenty of storage space for his clothes and things. Far more than he had ever had. There was no television, but he supposed he could bring in his battered old set if he moved in. Something on a corner table caught his eye. He scurried over, and peered closely at the curious object.

He looked at Shizune with wide eyes, pointing incredulously at the offending item.

Hey! Is that a... _telephone?_ Naruto asked disbelievingly.

Shizune nodded dumbly, an eyebrow arched. She wasn't sure why the blond boy was making such a big deal out of such a common everyday object.

His grin grew and threatened to split his face apart. His eyes shone. His chest swelled.

ALRIGHT! My own _telephone!_ I never had a telephone back at the apartment! My own_ telephone!_

Naruto was dancing and laughing, pointing at the telephone like a crazed child. Shizune could not help but laugh at the spectacle before her eyes.

I take it this means you like this place? the kunoichi asked, her eyebrows arching. She smiled as she awaited Naruto's answer.

Aaa... I guess so, Naruto replied, still grinning. He ruffled the back of his head with his hand.

I'll go and let Tsunade-sama know, Shizune said, winking. She swept out of the room, allowing Naruto to explore the rest of his new quarters.

* * *

**Chapter 8 - "To Fly Again" will soon be up! I will also be correcting small mistakes made in earlier chapters to help ensure the story is fully in line with canon and consistent. **


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